Pesticides and essential minerals modify endogenous antioxidants and cytochrome P450 in tissues of rats

Two experiments were conducted in male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (175-200 g) to determine changes in the activities of endogenous antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), cytochrome P450 (ethoxyresorufin deethylase; EROD) and concentrations of glutathione (GSH) in the blood, liver, and small intestinal mucosa (IM). In both experiments, six rats/group were fed diets based on the AIN-93M diet (Control) or the same modified to contain either 500 mg calcium (Low Ca), 7 mg Zn (Low Zn): 2 mg copper (Low Cu), 60 mg zinc (High Zn) or 12 mg copper (High Cu) in the following combination: Control, LCa/LZn, LCa/LZn/LCu, or HZn/HCu, with and without a pesticide mixture containing acephate, endosulfan, and thiram at 25% LD50 for four or two weeks. Pesticides decreased feed intake and weight gain in all groups by 28%. Erythrocyte SOD was higher than control in the HZn/HCu group and in the LCa/LZn/LCu and HZn/HCu groups with pesticide (P#0.05). Plasma GPX declined by more than 55% in all the groups with and without pesticides compared to the control. The LCa/LZn/LCu and HZn/HCu diets with and without pesticides reduced GPX in the IM by up to 88%, 40%, and 74%, respectively, than the control. Plasma GSH was about 20% higher than the control in most groups with and without pesticides in the diet. Liver and IM GSH were higher than the control in the HZn/HCu group, whereas IM GSH concentrations were lower than the control in the LCa/LZn and LCa/LZn/LCu groups (P#0.05). All three experimental diets with and without pesticides had a significant effect on liver EROD activity (P#0.05). The results indicate that endogenous antioxidants and EROD were independently modified by dietary zinc and copper levels and pesticides.