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This study was carried out to evaluate the adverse effects of exposure to prallethrin on oxidant/antioxidant status and liver dysfunction biomarkers and the protective role of Origanum majorana essential oil (EO) in rat. Male rats were divided into 4 groups: (i) received only olive oil (ii) treated with 64.0 mg/kg body weight prallethrin (1/10 LD50) in olive oil via oral route daily for 28 days, (iii) treated with 64.0 mg/kg body weight prallethrin (1/10 LD50) and EO (160 μL/kg b.wt.) in olive oil and (iv) received EO (160 μL/kg b.wt.) in olive oil via oral route twice daily for 28 days. Prallethrin treatment caused decrease in body weight gain and increase in relative liver weight. There was a significant increase in the activity of serum marker enzymes, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase. It caused increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and reduction in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione-S-transferase in liver. Consistent histological changes were found in the liver of prallethrin treatment. EO showed significant protection with the depletion of serum marker enzymes and replenishment of antioxidant status and brought all the values to near normal, indicating the protective effect of EO. We can conclude that prallethrin caused oxidative damage and liver injury in male rat and co-administration of EO attenuated the toxic effect of prallethrin. These results demonstrate that administration of EO may be useful, easy, and economical to protect human against pyrethroids toxic effects.

This study was conducted to shed light on the effect of exposure of lactating rat to chlorpyrifos (CPF). CPF was orally administered to lactating rats at 0.01 mg kg(-1) b.wt. (acceptable daily intake, ADI), 1.00 mg kg(-1) b.wt. (no observed adverse effects level, NOAEL) and 1.35 mg kg(-1) b.wt. (1/100 LD( 50)) from postnatal day 1 (PN1) until day 20 (PN20) after delivery. Results indicated decreases in body weight and increases in relative liver and kidney weights of exposed dams. Significant damage to liver was observed via increased plasma levels of aminotransferases (aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and γ-glutamyle transferase (γ-GT) in a dose-dependent manner. At two high doses of CPF (1.00 and 1.35 mg kg(-1) b.wt.), the lactating mothers showed significant decrease in the activity of cholinesterase (ChE). Lipid peroxidation was significantly increased, while glutathione s-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly decreased compared to control. At high dose of CPF (1.35 mg kg(-1) b.wt.), total protein and uric acid levels were significantly increased. CPF caused dose-related histopathological changes in liver and kidney of the CPF-treated dams.

Long-term application and extensive use of synthetic insecticides have resulted in accumulating their residues in food, milk, water, and soil and cause adverse health effects to human and ecosystems. Therefore, application of natural insecticides in agriculture and public health sectors has been increased as alternative to synthetic insecticides. The question here is, are all natural insecticides safe. Therefore, the review presented here focuses on the safety of natural insecticides. Natural insecticides contain chemical, mineral, and biological materials and some products are available commercially, e.g., pyrethrum, neem, spinosad, rotenone, abamectin, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), garlic, cinnamon, pepper, and essential oil products. It can induce hepatotoxicity, renal toxicity, hematotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and oxidative stress. It can induce mutagenicity, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity in mammals. Some natural insecticides and active compounds from essential oils are classified in categories Ib (Highly hazardous) to U (unlikely toxic). Therefore, the selectivity and safety of natural insecticides not absolute and some natural compounds are toxic and induce adverse effects to experimental animals. In concussion, all natural insecticides are not safe and the term “natural” does not mean that compounds are safe. In this respect, the term “natural” is not synonymous with “organic” and not all-natural insecticide products are acceptable in organic farmers.

Erythrocytes are a convenient model to understand the membrane oxidative damage induced by various xenobiotic pro-oxidants. This study was designed to investigate the possibility of methomyl (Lannate 90% SP), S-methyl N-(methylcarbamoyloxy) thioacetimidate, to induce oxidative stress response in rat erythrocytes in vitro. Erythrocytes were incubated for 4 hours at 37 degrees C with different concentrations (0.0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mM) of methomyl. The results showed that methomyl decreased acetylcholinesterase (AChE), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities and increased level of lipid peroxidation (LPO) as well as the percentage of haemolysis. The response occurred in a concentration-dependent manner. The study suggested that methomyl has the capability to induce oxidative damage as evidenced by increasing LPO and perturbations in various antioxidant enzymes.