Two newly synthesized β blockers, DPJ 955 and DPJ 890 were studied for cardioprotective action against isoprenaline induced myocardial necrosis and anti lipid peroxidation potential against ferric chloride induced lipid peroxidation. Administration of isoprenaline (300 mg/kg, s.c.) for 3 days at an interval of 24 hours significantly increased LDH, CK, AST and ALT levels as compared to normal animals. Treatment with DPJ 955 (10 mg/kg) and DPJ 890 (3 mg/kg) for 4 days followed by administration of isoprenaline (300mg/kg, s.c.) for a period of 3 days significantly reduced the concentration of marker enzymes in serum. Histological examination of hearts revealed that DPJ 890 (3 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced the severity of infarction produced by isoprenaline. The mortality was found to be very high (50%) with isoprenaline alone treated group. Pretreatment with DPJ 955 (10 mg/kg), DPJ 890 (3 mg/kg) reduced the mortality rate as compared to isoprenaline treated group. The cardioprotective effect produced by DPJ 890 was superior to propranolol. DPJ 955, DPJ 890, propranolol and carvedilol produced concentration dependent reduction in lipid peroxidation induced by ferric chloride. The rank order potency of anti lipid peroxidation activity was found to be carvedilol > DPJ 955 > propranolol = DPJ 890. These results suggest that prevention of myocardial damage produced by isoprenaline in rats pretreated with DPJ 955, DPJ 890 and propranolol may be mainly due to the β blocking activity as these compounds lacked lipid peroxidation activity.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of RPR-V, a novel phosphorothionate on Acid (AcP) and Alkaline (AkP) phosphatases in serum, liver, kidney and lung tissues of male and female albino Wistar rats. Three sub-chronic doses of 0.033 (low), 0.066 (medium) and 0.099 (high) mg kg^-1 body weight were administered orally for 45 or 90 days. The long-term and repeated administration of this compound caused significant increase in AcP and AkP activities in serum and kidney (AcP), whereas these enzymes were decreased significantly in liver, kidney (AkP) and lung tissues of both male and female rats after 45 and 90 days of treatment. Two way ANOVA revealed that the alterations were mostly significant in both columns and rows indicating that the changes were dose and time dependent. Sexual dimorphism was not recorded when the activities of male rats were compared with female rats. After 28 days post-treatment recovery was near to control. There was a high degree of negative correlation between results for serum as compared to those for liver, kidney (AkP) and lung. However, there was a high degree positive correlation between AcP results for serum as compared with those of kidney. The changes in these enzymes indicated that liver was the most susceptible followed by lung and kidney. AcP and AkP are membrane-bound enzymes and their increase in serum with simultaneous decrease in liver, kidney (AkP) and lung might be due to the necrosis of these cellular tissues. However, the increase in kidney (AcP) might be due to the increased permeability of plasma membrane showing stress condition of the treated rats. These biochemical enzymes can be detected rapidly and hence may be used for the prediction and diagnosis of pesticide insult.

Administration of carbon tetrachloride (0.2 ml/kg) intraperitoneally to normal rats caused significant decrease in Hb, RBC and WBC Counts, and considerable increase in the level of transaminases, blood sugar and the activity of serum alkaline phosphatase. A marked increase in the serum protein was also observed. Significant decrease was observed in glycogen content of liver, on the contrary, a marked increase was seen in kidney. Carbon tetrachloride provided significant rise in protein content and activity of acid phosphatase of liver and kidney both. Activity of alkaline phosphatase showed marked depletion in both the organs. Significant elevation in hepatic lipid peroxidation level and a sharp depletion in glutathione level were also seen. Conjoint treatment with PHF (250 mg/kg, orally) for 12 weeks caused significant recoupment in liver and kidney in most of the parameters studied.

Synthetic pyrethroid residues in samples of cow milk, poultry egg and meat, collected from Tarai (foot hills) and hilly regions of Kumaon were estimated with the help of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The mean values of deltamethrin residue of the positive samples in the whole Kumaon region were 0.0688, 0.0448 and 0.0356 mg/l or mg/kg, respectively. The values for fenvalerate residue were 0.1498, 0.1627 and 0.0164 mg/l or mg/kg, respectively. The results confirm the use of synthetic pyrethroid pesticides in Kumaon regions of Uttaranchal. However, none of the samples showed residual concentration above the 'maximum residue limit' as per the guidelines of the FAO/WHO.

Blood is a connective tissue which is highly sensitive to environmental toxicants as evident in the following study. In albino rats, exposed to 5% concentrated solution of textile wastewater for 30, 45 and 60 days, stomatocytes, schistocytes, poikilocytes, anulocytes, acanthocytes and Heinz bodies were found. Large number of basophilic inclusions in the cytoplasm of erythrocytes were observed. Erythrocytes also showed higher degree of hypochromia. The structural deformities found in erythrocytes revealed disruption of cell membrane in erythrocytes which leads to haemolytic anaemia. Haemolytic anaemia is a condition in which the average life span of the red blood cell is greatly reduced due to the destruction of blood cells. The degree of anaemia is found directly related to the exposure time to wastewater. In leucocytes, hyper-segmentation in neutrophils and granulation in lymphocytes were found in treated rats. Besides this the nuclei of most of the leucocytes showed disorganization. Marked increase in the average diameter and significant (P<0.01) reduction in the counts of both types of blood cells was observed. Response of DLC in effluent treated rats exhibited eosinophilia and neutropenia.

Oral administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG), to normal adult male mice, for six consecutive days at dose level of 4 mg and 8 mg per gram body weight induced lipogenesis as the level of total lipids, triglycerides and phospholipids was significantly increased whereas the level of digestive enzymes, such as sucrase, maltase, lactase, trehalase and that of lactate dehydrogenase was significantly decreased in the intestinal tissue. These observations suggested that altered specific activity of above studied digestive enzymes (upon ingestion of MSG at dose level of 4 mg and 8 mg per gram body weight) may be due to the action of glutamate for glucose as the substrate for the production of energy in the intestinal tissue.

The effects of acrylamide at three different doses of 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg body weight and chlorpromazine hydrochloride at two concentrations of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg body weight were investigated on functional observations in Wistar rats. The functional observation battery was carried out before start of treatment and after the treatment at different intervals. Acrylamide caused a marked reduction in motor activity on post treatment day 1 and day 3 at 25 and 50 mg/kg body weight groups. Chlorpromazine hydrochloride at 2.5 mg/kg body weight decreased the motor activity and increased the fore limb grip strength when compared to control group.

The toxic effect of metoprolol succinate, a selective b1 antagonist, was studied in rats after oral exposure to it for 28 days. The study was conducted on 50 Wistar rats divided into five equal groups. Groups A, B, C, D received oral doses (mg/kg) of metoprolol succinate @ 1000, 750, 500 and 300, respectively, in two divided doses daily for 28 days, whereas group E was untreated control. On the basis of clinical picture, pathological changes, cardiometric parameters, hematological and biochemical changes, it was found that metoprolol succinate caused mild CNS depression and adverse effects on body weights at 1000 mg/kg. The mortality was observed at the doses above 500 mg/kg in all the groups. The post mortem lesions and histopathological findings suggested that apart from lesions on liver, kidney and intestine, heart was major organ affected. Besides, rounding of heart and increase in heart weight indicated cardiotoxicity of metoprolol succinate. 300 mg/kg was found to be the dose causing repeated dose oral toxicity of metoprolol succinate in rats.

After physico-chemical analysis of pulp and paper mill effluent, its toxic effect was studied on fresh water tubificid worm, Tubifex tubifex at different concentrations (10, 20, 40, 60 and 80% v/v), which revealed that toxic ingredient of effluent induced high mortality at 10 to 60% (v/v) concentration after 96 hours exposure. Further, in higher concentrations (>60% v/v) effluent exposed T. tubifex, morphological alteration due to the presence of pentachlorophenol was observed. Relative toxicity of effluent in term of lethal concentration, LC50 value was 29.0% after 96 hours exposure. Dissolve oxygen (DO) content was found lower at all elevated concentration during bioassay. The reduction in DO content was 65.12% at 80% effluent concentration (v/v) after 96 hours exposure. Pulp and paper mill effluent was brown-coloured having color units (CU) 11727 Pt-Co with higher levels of COD (16766 mg/l), BOD₅ (6033 mg/l), T.S (1115 mg/l), lignin (413 mg/l), heavy metals (Ni 0.122, Cu 0.216, Fe 0.182 and Cd 0.135 mg/l) and pH 7.5-8.0. The effluent was also found to contain significant amount of chlorinated phenols such as 2,4-dichlorophenol (8.65 mg/l), 2,3,5-trichlorophenol (0.73 mg/l) and pentachlorophenol (50.31mg/l).

A single dose of cadmium ( CdCl₂, 1.8 mg /kg, i.p. ) in mice caused liver damage as evidenced by serum transaminases and morphology of the hepatic tissue. An elevation of hepatic lipid peroxides, cadmium, zinc and calcium, and lowering of glutathione levels was also observed .However, pretreatment with turmeric at two doses (25 and 100 mg / kg,orally) for 7 days, showed significant reduction in the oxidative stress markers and serum transaminases. The gross toxicopathological changes were also markedly arrested. These results suggest cytoprotective including antioxidative potential of turmeric in acute Cd toxicity.

The objective of present work was to study the neurotoxic effects of bracken fern in laboratory rats. In this study, 24 young male albino rats were divided into four groups as crude extract (Gr-I), crude extract with uracil (Gr-II). Grs I and II were fed with 0.5ml of aqueous crude extracts of bracken fern for period of 6 months. Uracil (0.5%) was administered to Grs II and III for one month. The treatment was discontinued after 6 months of post feeding (MPF) and experiment was terminated at 8 MPF. At the end of 6 MPF, all rats were subjected to test spontaneous and motor activities. Spontaneous motor activity of rats revealed significantly reduced number of ambulations (horizontal activity) in BFCE+UGr (431.00±45.38) and rearing (vertical activity) in same group (66.70±4.20) as compared to other groups, when tested at pre-determined time of 4 minutes in activity cage. Both the crude extracts drenched groups exhibited signs of sleepiness and reduced movements in activity cage. In forced motor activity on rota-rod apparatus, rats of both crude extracts fed group remained relatively shorter period (33.03±2.76 and 29.53±2.50 min) as compared to UGr (76.18±7.79 min) and CGr (112.89±7.69 min). Thus, both crude extracts fed groups lost their balance on rota-rod and showed the signs of tremors in their hindlimbs. Moreover, the rats of these groups had dullness, off-feed, opisthotonus and occasional spastic paralysis of hindlimbs during various periods of experiment. In fern extract drenched groups appreciable decrease in body weight and increased relative weight of brain was observed. Histopathological lesions of engorged blood vessels with thickened vessel wall, haemorrhages in meninges and stroma and occasional glial cell proliferation in brain along with above clinical observations were suggestive of neurotoxic effects of bracken fern. It was concluded that neurotoxic effects in both crude extract drenched groups of rats might be due to presence of thiaminase enzyme in bracken fern.

The major share of the pesticides still used in India are organo chlorinated compounds, despite the environmental threats posed by these compounds, due to economic factors. The persistent nature of organo chlorinated pesticides endows them with presence in almost all the food products tested. In view of the hazardous nature of these pesticides to various non target species including human beings, it is necessary to routinely monitor residues in consumer food. In the present study an effective, quick, specific, simple and sensitive single step method has been developed for the detection of different pesticide residues in various vegetables. The appearance of intense Prussian blue spots on the o- tolidine impregnated chromogenic paper following sunlight exposure indicated the presence of organochlorinated pesticide residues in the vegetables tested.