Protective effect of Jageum-Jung on chlorpyrifos-induced acute toxicity in ICR mice

Abstract

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is one of the most heavily used organophosphate pesticides and is useful as an insecticide drug. However, CPF also causes toxic effects in nontarget organisms, including humans and animals. Jageum-Jung (JGJ) is a traditional oriental medicine, composed of five specific herbs with antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties, used for detoxification. In the present study, highly concentrated CPF was orally administrated to male Institute of Cancer Research mice to produce acute toxicity, and the protective effects of JGJ administration were investigated through statistical analysis of changes in body and organ weights and serum biochemical parameters. JGJ caused body and organ weights to recover and reduced the levels of serum biochemical parameters indicative of liver damage, such as glutamic oxalate transaminase, glutamic pyruvate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, lactic dehydrogenase, urea, glucose, total cholesterol, and triglyceride, that had been increased by CPF treatment. Our results demonstrated that JGJ ameliorates the effects of acute chlorpyrifos-induced toxicity. Therefore, JGJ has the potential to be used as a traditional medicine to alleviate insecticide toxicity.

Effect of chlorpyrifos and its metabolites on skeletal system development of chick embryo

“…In the present study, the embryos exposed to CPF and TCPy showed a significant reduction in the body weight (Table 3). Earlier studies on embryos exposed to various types of OP pesticide also exhibited a similar effect (Wang et al, 2013;Yim & Ma, 2018). The reason for the reduction in the body weight can be attributed to congenital malformation of various internal organs.…”

“…The embryos, which showed a reduced body weight, had a reduced net weight of liver, spleen, and kidney. Thus, the reduction in the weight of the internal organs may reflect in an overall reduction of the body weight (Yim & Ma, 2018). Increased dosages of pesticides were directly proportional to the mortality rate and inversely proportional to the body weight.…”