Effects of Oral and Dermal Sub-Chronic Exposure of Kerosene on Biochemical Parameters in Male Wistar Rats

Aim: Many of the studies that have been carried out to investigate the toxicity of kerosene have been large-dose, acute-setting experiments. Although the hepatic and renal damage as a result of kerosene exposure has been demonstrated in an earlier study in female Wistar rats, gender is known to play a role in an animal’s response to a xenobiotic. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the effect of repeated exposure of trace amount of kerosene to male Wistar rats so as to establish if differences in gender of an animal will modulate the toxic response of kerosene in sub-chronic setting.
Methods: Twelve male rats were divided equally into 2 groups and administered with 0.4 ml/kg kerosene either through the oral or dermal route; six other rats served as control group. Kerosene administration lasted for 21 days after which blood was obtained through retro-orbital bleeding.
Results: Results of the study reveal that while the hepatic enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT) as well as other biochemical parameters- bilirubin, urea, creatinine and uric acid were significantly increased, total protein and albumin were significantly reduced (p<0.05). Moreover, in most cases these changes were more significant for oral route than dermal route.
Conclusion: These results suggest nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic nature of kerosene in male rats and confirm that the oral route of administration is more dangerous than dermal, a finding that was similar to what was observed for female rats in an earlier study.