Common Household Insecticides Used in Nigeria Induced Oxidative Stress in Wistar Rats

Background: The use of household insecticides for the eradication of insects especially mosquitoes in Nigeria is increasing. These insecticides are used without consideration of their adverse effect on human health.

Aim: This study is therefore sought to investigate the effect of common household insecticides used in Nigeria on oxidative stress biomarkers.

Methodology: Thirty (30) male Wistar rats were divided into five groups of six (6) each. Rats in group 1 were exposed to Rambo, those in group 2 were exposed to Mortein, those in group 3 were exposed to Raid, those in group 4 were exposed to Baygon while those in group 5 were not exposed to any insecticide and served as the control group. The exposure was done twice daily via inhalation route. Throughout the experiment, animals were fed ad libitum with standard feed and drinking water. After twenty-one (21) days of exposure, they were sacrificed after an overnight fast under diethyl ether as anesthesia. Blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture. Oxidative stress biomarkers (lipid peroxidation, glutathione, catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) were determined using standard methods.

Results: The results obtained showed that exposure of the animals to all types of insecticides (Rambo, Mortein, Raid and Baygon) significantly (p <0.05) increased lipid peroxidation an index of oxidative biomarkers in rats when compared to the control group. Conversely, the concentration of glutathione was significantly (p <0.05) reduced compared to the corresponding control group.While the activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) were observed to significantly (p < 0.05) increase as a result of insecticides exposure to animals when compared with the control group animals.

Conclusion: From the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that common household insecticides used in Nigeria induced oxidative stress in Wistar rats and might compromise the immune system. Suggesting that such oxidative stress inducing effects of these insecticides as observed in animals used in this study may be extrapolated in humans who use these insecticides to protect against various insects. Therefore, staying in a room fumigated with these insecticides when the effect has not completely subsided may be hazardous to humans and hence, this should be discouraged.