The effect of the intratracheal exposure of rats to secondary metabolites isolated from microfungi on lungs

Abstract

The lung is a major target organ for insults induced by environmental pollutants. Following the effect of microfungal exposure relating to less studied topics, health complaints, particularly in mouldy houses, may be associated with microfungal exposure. The pulmonary health problems can be evoked both by inhalation of spores or their secondary metabolites. The fungal secondary metabolites represent a mixture of different active compounds and the mycotoxins may be a common part of them. Our study was focused on the effect of secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus versicolor, a frequent indoor colonizer. The Wistar rats were intratracheally exposed to isolated metabolites produced by A. versicolor and after 3 days exposure the animals were sacrificed and the antioxidant status was estimated in lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Alveolar macrophages and alveolar epithelial type II cellsfrom toxicological point of view the most important cells -were isolated and their antioxidant status and DNA damage were evaluated. The results did not show statistically significant changes of antioxidant status either in lungs or in the BALF, but the DNA damage was enhanced in both types of studied cells.

Essential rosemary oil protects testicular cells against DNA-damaging effects of H2O2 and DMNQ

“…The positive effect of RO administration was proved by the decrease of H 2 O 2 -or DMNQ-induced oxidative DNA damage in TCs isolated from rats watered with RO, but no significant changes were found in the activity of the most important antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. A similar effect was seen after exposure of lung cells to secondary metabolites produced by fungi; the DNA damage was increased but no significant changes were detected in the activity of antioxidant enzymes (Kováčiková et al, 2010). On the contrary, after exposure of rats to cigarette smoke, both DNA damage and activities of antioxidants were significantly changed both in lung and isolated pneumocytes (Kováčiková et al, 2006).…”