Antioxidative role of cerium against the toxicity of lead in the liver of silver crucian carp.

The antioxidative role of cerium was investigated in the liver of silver crucian carp injected with lead. The fish were intraperitoneally injected with 10, 20, or 30 mg/kg wet weight PbCl(2). After a 14-day period of incubation, 35 animals were injected with a solution of 1.5 mg/kg wet weight CeCl(3). After 42 days, the wet weight and the liver weight of the fish were weighed, and the oxidative stress of the fish liver was estimated by assaying lipid peroxide, superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, ascorbic acid, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The results show that Ce(3+) could decrease ROS accumulation, relieve the inhibition of the activities of the antioxidant enzyme and the reduction of antioxidants in fish liver caused by Pb(2+), and decrease the enhancement of hepatosomatic index of fish under various Pb(2+) dosages.