A study was conducted to examine the clinical signs, hematological, biochemical and histopathological changes in vitamin D ₃ toxicity at a dose rate 2 mg/kg b.wt. of vitamin D ₃ and to assess the protective effect of Aloe vera in vitamin D ₃ toxicity. The clinical signs observed were anorexia, progressive weight loss, difficulty in movement and respiration, diarrhea, epistaxis, subnormal body temperature and nervous signs before death. Mortality was observed in treated rats between day 10 and day 19 of treatment. The gross postmortem changes observed were severe emaciation, white chalky deposits on epicardial surface of heart, pin point white deposits on cortical surface of kidneys with pale yellow discoloration and diffused white deposits on serosal surface of stomach and intestine with bloody ingesta in lumen. The hematological changes included non-significant increase in hemoglobin and total leukocyte count and significant increase in relative neutrophil count. The biochemical changes observed were significant increase in plasma concentration of calcium, phosphorus and blood urea nitrogen, whereas a significant decrease in the concentration of albumin and total plasma protein was observed. The histopathological lesions included calcification of various organs, viz., tongue, stomach, intestines, kidney, heart, aorta, larynx, trachea, lungs, spleen, choroid plexus arteries of brain and vas deferens. The Aloe vera juice (2.5% in drinking water) has no protective effect on vitamin D ₃ toxicity (2 mg/kg b.wt.).

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Acute dermal toxicity study was conducted in rats. The parameters studied were body weight, serum biochemistry and gross pathology. The animals were also observed for clinical signs and mortality after the application of test film. The dermal irritation potential of silk protein film was examined using Draize test. In the initial test, three test patches were applied sequentially for 3 min, 1 and 4 hours, respectively, and skin reaction was graded. The irritant or negative response was confirmed using two additional animals, each with one patch, for an exposure period of 4 hours. The responses were scored at 1, 24, 48 and 72 hours after the patch removal. Skin sensitization study was conducted according to Buehler test in guinea pigs, in which on day 0, 7 and 14, the animals were exposed to test material for 6 hours (Induction phase) and on day 28, the animals were exposed for a period of 24 hours (Challenge phase). The skin was observed and recorded at 24 and 48 hours after the patch removal. In acute dermal toxicity study, the rats dermally treated with silk film did not show any abnormal clinical signs and the body weight, biochemical parameters and gross pathological observations were not significantly different from the control group. In acute dermal irritation study, the treated rabbits showed no signs of erythema, edema and eschar, and the scoring was given as "0" for all time points of observations according to Draize scoring system. In skin sensitization study, there were no skin reactions 24 and 48 hours after the removal of challenge patch, which was scored "0" based on Magnusson/Kligman grading scale.

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A study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of cypermethrin on reproduction of female albino rats. The experimental rats were fed cypermethrin at 50 mg/kg b. wt. continuously for a period of 2 and 4 weeks. Feed and water intake was also noted daily for control, vehicle treated and cypermethrin-treated rats. It was observed that there was no effect on feed and water intake in treated rats as compared to the control group. Chronic exposure to cypermethrin for 4 weeks resulted in loose fecal pellets and hyperirritability in the treated rats. Treatment related mortality also occurred at the 4 ^th wk of treatment. Significant changes in body weight and various organ weights due to cypermethrin were observed along with disruption of estrous cycle in rats. The body weight gain in treated rats was lower at both 2 and 4 weeks as compared to the control rats. The weight of liver and spleen decreased, while that of kidneys increased as compared to the control rats. Thyroid and adrenal showed increase in weight at both 2 and 4 weeks of treatments.

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Subacute toxicity of repeated (28 day) oral administration of imidacloprid in male White Leghorn (WLH) chicks was assessed. One hundred and twenty-five birds were divided into five groups, with each group containing 25 birds. The birds of group C1 were given no treatment and served as control. Group C2 was administered groundnut oil (1 ml/kg) and served as control (vehicle). Group I1 was given 1/40 ^th of apparent LD ₅₀ (ALD ₅₀ ) (1.25 mg/kg), and group I2 was put on 1/30 ^th of ALD ₅₀ (1.67 mg/kg), while group I3 received 1/20 ^th of ALD ₅₀ (2.5 mg/kg) of imidacloprid suspended in groundnut oil. The blood samples were collected from birds after 14 and 28 days of oral administration and analyzed for hematological and biochemical parameters. The study showed that hematological parameters [hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), total erythrocyte count (TEC)] remained unaffected except total leukocyte count which was decreased at the highest dose tested only on 28 ^th day of experiment in birds of group I3. Imidacloprid produced hypoglycemia during the entire period of study, which was dose dependent. Imidacloprid treated birds showed significant increase in serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) level at 14 and 28 days of experiment, while no significant change in serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum total protein, serum total albumin, serum total globulin and serum creatinine was seen.

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Protective effect of Ocimum sanctum was evaluated on chlorpyrifos-induced genotoxicity in in vivo and in vitro models. Two different concentrations of pesticide were taken, i.e., 1/5 and 1/15 of LD ₅₀ of chlorpyrifos for the in vivo study. Rats were pre-treated orally with O. sanctum extract (OE) at 50 mg/kg b.wt. For the in vitro studies, human lymphocyte cultures were exposed to 75 μg/ml chlorpyrifos with and without OE. Structural and numerical (both aneuploidy and euploidy types) chromosomal aberrations (CAs) were scored for the assessment of induced genotoxic effects, while the variation in mitotic index (MI) was considered as a monitor for induced cellular toxicity. The same concentration of the pesticide (75 μg/ml) was taken to study the DNA damage by comet assay. Results showed that lymphocytes treated with the pesticide exhibited increased DNA damage but the increase was statistically insignificant (P>0.05). In rats pretreated with OE, a significant (P<0.01) increase in MI was observed and there was a significant decrease in the frequency of aberrant cells as compared to the rats treated with chlorpyrifos alone. A significant (P<0.05) increase in CA was observed in cultures treated with 75 μg/ml chlorpyrifos as compared to controls, which decreased significantly (P<0.05) with OE pretreatment.

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The aim of this work was to verify the effects of water soluble fraction (WSF) of diesel fuel in liver of Channa punctatus. The fishes were exposed to sublethal concentration of WSF of diesel (5%-DF1, 10%-DF2, 15%-DF3, 20%-DF4 and 25%-DF5) for 21 days. Significant histopathological lesions observed were dilation, congestion, thrombosis formation in hepatoportal blood vessel, melanomacrophage centers, hemolysis, hemorrhage, lymphocytic infiltration between the hepatocytes and necrosis & fibrosis in hepatocytes were the prominent changes in liver. The histological analysis showed increasing damages dose-dependents and time-dependents.

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The study was undertaken to evaluate the toxicity produced by the pooled selected fractions of Mimosa invisa in rabbits. An attempt was made to protect the animal from the toxicity using a decoction containing Hygrophila auriculata, Tribulus terrestris and Boerhaavia diffusa. Eighteen adult rabbits were divided into three groups of six animals each. Group I served as control. Group II received pooled fraction of M. invisa at 0.4 g/kg orally. Group III was administered with pooled fraction along with the decoction containing H. auriculata, T. terrestris and B. diffusa equivalent to 5 g/kg. The experiment was conducted for 20 days. Group II showed significant increase in biochemical parameters like alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, gamma glutamyl tranferase, creatine kinase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and urea, suggesting liver and kidney toxicity. Histopathological examination of the liver and kidney supported these findings. Heart also showed mild histopathological changes. Administration of decoction reversed the biochemical and histopathological changes, indicating the protective effect of decoction.

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The present study was carried out to find the effect of cell phone radiations on various biomolecules in the adult workers of Apis mellifera L. The results of the treated adults were analyzed and compared with the control. Radiation from the cell phone influences honey bees' behavior and physiology. There was reduced motor activity of the worker bees on the comb initially, followed by en masse migration and movement toward ''talk mode'' cell phone. The initial quiet period was characterized by rise in concentration of biomolecules including proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, perhaps due to stimulation of body mechanism to fight the stressful condition created by the radiations. At later stages of exposure, there was a slight decline in the concentration of biomolecules probably because the body had adapted to the stimulus.

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An attempt was made to study the antioxidant property of vitamin E in endosulfan and chlorpyrifos toxicity. Erythrocytes were collected from healthy rats and exposed to 1 ppm endosulfan and chlorpyrifos pesticides individually and also along with vitamin E treatment. Results showed that endosulfan was more toxic in comparison of chlorpyrifos. Activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were significantly decreased, while lipid peroxidation and glutathione-S-transfarase were increased in comparison to the control values. The results of the present study suggest that vitamin E acts as an effective antioxidant for endosulfan and chlorpyrifos pesticide toxicity, in reducing oxidative stress burden.

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A study was conducted to estimate nitrate content in commonly used fodder crops, viz., berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum), bajra (Pennisetum glaucum), maize (Zea mays), oats (Avena sativa), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) and toriya (Brassica napus), collected from the fields of different villages of Punjab and farms of the university, and to evaluate the factors associated with nitrate accumulation in these crops. The nitrate level was highest in sorghum on dry matter basis, followed by oats and toriya, berseem, maize and bajra. The nitrate content was also determined in fodder samples harvested from young and mature stages and in different parts of plants. The stem part of forages had higher content than leaves; however, concentrations were low in mature crops as compared to immature ones. The environmental and soil factors associated with it are discussed and correlated with the experimental findings.

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A total of 225 day-old sexed male broiler chicks (Vencobb strain) were divided randomly into 15 groups consisting of 15 chicks in each group to study the toxicity of lead on hepatocytes. Group 1 was maintained on basal diet, group 2 on polyherbal formulation (PHF; stressroak), group 3 on shilajith, group 4 on amla and group 5 on vit E + Se. Group 6 was maintained on lead for 6 weeks and group 7 on lead for 4 weeks and subsequently on basal diet without lead for the remaining 2 weeks. Groups 8, 9, 10 and 11 were given lead along with PHF, shilajith, amla and vit E + Se, respectively, throughout 6 weeks. Groups 12, 13, 14 and 15 were given lead containing diet for the first 4 weeks and subsequently treated with PHF, shilajith, amla and vit E + Se, respectively, for the remaining 2 weeks. The activity of alanine transaminase (ALT) was significantly (P<0.05) increased in the toxic control groups at the end of 4 ^th week as compared to group 1. However, following treatment, there was a significant (P<0.05) reversal in groups 12-15. The activity of Na ⁺ /K ⁺ -ATPase, Ca ²⁺ ATPase, Mg ²⁺ ATPase and CYP ₄₅₀ was significantly (P<0.05) reduced in the liver of toxic control groups 6 and 7 as compared to groups1 through 5, which had the maximum activity of all the groups. Groups 8 through 15 revealed a significant (P<0.05) increase in the activity of these hepatocytic enzymes. The histological sections of the liver in lead toxic control (group 6) showed moderate focal lymphoid aggregates in liver, whereas the lesions were mild to moderate in treated groups and there were no observable lesions in plain control groups. The study revealed protective effect of PHF (stressroak), shilajith, amla and vit E + Se in lead-induced hepatocytic damage.

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The aim of this work was to determine the toxicity of ethanol in an aquatic system by means of bioassays with Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters) as a test organism. The study revealed changes in the gill ATPase activities. The results obtained indicated that ethanol brought about a decrease in the body weight, followed by significant inhibition on total ATPase, Na ⁺ /K ⁺ ATPase, Ca ²⁺ ATPase and Mg ²⁺ ATPase activities. The studies also indicated that these can be employed as suitable biomarkers in ethanol related toxicity studies.

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Lead toxicity was studied in male broiler chicks (Cobb strain) of a day-old age. The chicks were randomly divided into six groups consisting of 15 in each group. Group 1 was maintained as basal diet control and group 2 was kept on lead at 300 ppm in feed throughout 5 wk as toxic control without any treatment. Groups 3 and 4 were maintained on herbal methionine at 1.4 g/kg feed + Mangifera indica at 0.1% in feed, respectively. Groups 5 and 6 were treated with lead + herbal methionine and lead + M.indica, respectively, for the 5 wk. The concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and protein carbonyls, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase in liver and kidney revealed a significant (P<0.05) increase, while there was a significant (P<0.05) decrease in the concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) in liver and kidney, and hepatocytic membrane ATPases and cytochrome P ₄₅₀ (CYP ₄₅₀ ) in liver in the lead toxic control group. Treatment with herbal remedies in groups 5 and 6 resulted in a marked improvement in all the above parameters as compared to those of lead toxic control. Thus, it is concluded that lead induces biological damage by means of oxidative stress and the herbs in test offered better amelioration. The beneficial effects of herbal methionine and Ma. indica may be attributed to their antioxidant, anti-stress and hepatoprotective principles.

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Day-old male broiler chicks were randomly divided into 8 groups consisting of 10 chicks in each. Groups 1 and 2 were maintained as plain control and cadmium (100 ppm in feed) toxic control, respectively, for 6 weeks. Groups 3, 4 and 5 were maintained on a combination of cadmium along with Emblica officinalis (500 ppm in feed), vitamin E (300 ppm in feed) and polyherbal formulation (1 g/kg feed), respectively, for 6 weeks. Groups 6, 7 and 8 were maintained on cadmium for the first 4 weeks and on E. officinalis, vitamin E and polyherbal formulation, respectively, during the subsequent 2 weeks without cadmium. The biochemical parameters such as alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea and creatinine were significantly (P<0.05) elevated in toxic control. These parameters revealed improvement following treatment with E. officinalis, vitamin E and polyherbal formulation in groups 6, 7 and 8, respectively. Thus, it is concluded that supplementation of E. officinalis, vitamin E and polyherbal formulation in feed is useful in preventing and treating the cadmium-induced toxic effects.

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An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the hepatotoxic effects in the progeny of dams treated with methimazole, monocrotophos (MCP) and lead acetate. Female pregnant albino rats of Wistar Kyoto strain were divided into five groups and treated as follows, from day 3 of pregnancy till weaning of pups on postnatal day (PND) 21. Group 1 served as sham control, group 2 received methimazole 0.02% in drinking water, group 3 received MCP (0.3 mg/kg orally), group 4 received lead acetate at 0.2% in drinking water and group 5 received MCP + lead acetate. Thyroid hormone profile was recorded on 14 ^th day of gestation in dams. Eight pups from each group were euthanized on PND 21 and 90, and liver tissues were collected for analysis. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls and reduced glutathione (GSH) of liver were studied on PND 21 and 90, while the activities of Na ⁺ /K ⁺ ATPase and Mg ²⁺ ATPase in the liver were studied on PND 90. T ₃ , T ₄ , GSH, Na ⁺ /K ⁺ ATPase and Mg ²⁺ ATPase were significantly (P<0.05) decreased, while TBARS and protein carbonyls were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in all the test groups as compared to group 1. From this study, it is concluded that both MCP and lead acetate have a possible influence on thyroid gland of dams as the thyroid profile was altered significantly and the hepatotoxic effects were comparable to those induced by methimazole.

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A total of 225 male broiler chicks (Cobb strain) of day-old age were procured for the study. The chicks were randomly divided into 15 groups consisting of 15 chicks in each group. Group 1 was maintained as basal diet control and group 2 on chlorpyrifos (CPS) at 100 ppm in feed throughout 6 wk as iron toxic control without any treatment. Groups 3-15 were maintained on CPS at 100 ppm in feed for the 4 wk (28 days) of study and thereafter administered with different herbs and their combinations for remaining 2 wk. The blood samples were drawn from wing vein on 28 ^th day and 42 ^nd day from the birds in each group for the estimation of lipid and protein profiles. The birds were sacrificed at the end of 6 ^th week and liver tissues were collected for histological examination. The concentrations of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein, albumin and globulins and the A/G ratio were increased significantly (P<0.05) in toxic groups (2-15), while high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was significantly (P<0.05) decreased at the end of 4 ^th week. However, following supplementation of herbs and herbal combinations, the values of lipid and protein profile in groups 3-15 revived toward normal at the end of 6 ^th week. Histopathology of liver in CPS toxic control (group 2) revealed areas of degeneration, while groups 3-15 that were treated with herbs and their combinations exhibited these changes in a milder form, indicating regenerative alterations. The study revealed that chorpyrifos-induced changes in lipid and protein profile were improved by supplementation of certain herbs.

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A total of 160 White Leghorns of 20 wk age were divided randomly into eight groups. Groups 1, 3, 4 and 5 were fed basal feed and the rest were fed 5% vanaspati supplemented feed until 42 wk of age. From 42 to 54 wk, groups 3, 4 and 5 were fed 1% ferrous sulfate, 100 ppm chlorpyrifos (CPS) and 100 ppm cadmium, respectively, along with basal feed and groups 6, 7 and 8 were fed similar stressors, respectively, along with 5% vanaspati. Groups 1 and 2 served as controls for basal feed and 5% vanaspati feed. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), total protein, albumin, globulin, A/G ratio, total cholesterol, high density cholesterol (HDL), triglycerides, creatinine, hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titer, and phytohemagglutination (PHA) index were studied. Supplementation of vanaspati resulted in a significant reduction in PHA, cholesterol, albumin and HI titer. Cadmium significantly increased ALP, AST, creatinine and paradoxically increased HDL cholesterol and HI titers. Vanaspati along with cadmium showed similar effects. Administration of CPS lowered PHA index, whereas supplementation along with vanaspati decreased the HI titers and increased the PHA index. Supplementation of vanaspati alone and in combination revealed harmful effects and aggravated the toxicities of CPS and cadmium. Hence, it is concluded that consumption of vanaspati could be harmful.

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A total of 225 male broiler chicks (Cobb strain) of day-old age were randomly divided into 15 groups consisting of 15 chicks in each group. Group 1 was maintained as basal diet control and group 2 on ferrous sulfate at 0.5% in feed throughout 6 wk as iron toxic control without any treatment. Groups 3-15 were maintained on FeSO ₄ at 0.5% in feed for the 4 wk (28 days) of study and thereafter administered with different herbs and their combinations for the remaining 2 wk. The blood samples were drawn from wing vein at the end of 4 ^th and 6 ^th weeks from the birds in each group for the assay of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Sera samples were separated from the blood for the estimation of alanine transaminase (ALT) and serum creatinine. The birds were sacrificed at the end of 6 ^th wk and tissues were collected for the assay of reduced glutathione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in liver and kidney homogenates. The activities of SOD, catalase and ALT, and the concentration of TBARS and serum creatinine were increased significantly (P<0.05), while the concentration of tissue GSH was decreased significantly (P<0.05) in all the groups as compared to basal diet control and the values showed significant improvement in groups 3-15 that were treated during the last 2 weeks. It is concluded that iron induces toxicity by generating reactive oxygen species, and antioxidant herbs are useful in treating the iron-induced toxicity.

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A study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of herbal Neonatal Chick care (NNCC) against iron-induced oxidative stress. A total of 130 day-old sexed male broiler chicks (Vencobb strain) were randomly divided into six groups consisting of 25 chicks each in groups 1-4 and 15 each in groups 5 and 6. Group 1 was maintained on basal diet, groups 2 and 3 on herbal NNCC at 6 and 8 g/chick/day, respectively, for 2 days immediately after hatching and later continued with basal diet up to 6 wk. Group 4 was given FeSO ₄ at 0.5% of feed for 6 wk, while groups 5 and 6 were given NNCC as in groups 2 and 3, and later continued with the FeSO ₄ as in group 4 for 6 wk. The concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls, glucose and calcium, and the activity of alanine transaminase (ALT) were significantly (P<0.05) increased in group 4 at the end of 6 ^th week, while the concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, phytohemagglutinin (PHA) index and HI titer were significantly (P<0.05) decreased in group 4. The NNCC treated groups (2, 3, 5 and 6) showed marked improvement in all the above parameters. It can be concluded that herbal NNCC offered protection and proved beneficial in resisting the adverse effects of stressor.

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