Evaluation of Gender-Specific Variation in Lead-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Wistar Rats

The heavy metal lead is toxic and triggers oxidative stress mediated toxicity in many organs, including the liver. This study aimed to evaluate the gender-specific variation in lead-induced hepatotoxicity in wistar rats. 10 male and 10 female Wistar rats (180-220g) were each divided into 2 groups (n=5 each): Control (M), Lead alone (M), Control (F), Lead alone (F). Male and female rats of the experimental groups administered a daily dose of 100 mg/kg/BW of lead acetate dispersed in distilled water for 21 days. All rats were anaesthesized and sacrificed 24 hours after the last administration. Blood was collected through cardiac puncture for biochemical analysis. Liver tissue was also collected, homogenized and analyzed for antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase), lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde). Results showed that the weight gain difference in lead alone (F) group is decreased significantly compared to the lead alone (M) group (p<0.01). Lead acetate induced oxidative damage, demonstrated by a significantly decreased antioxidant enzymes, significantly increased lipid peroxidation in both male and female experimental groups but these was more significant (p<0.05) in female than male. The findings also revealed that lead exposure induced hepatotoxicity with a significant increase in liver function markers. Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) levels in the lead alone (M) and lead alone (F) group were also increased when compared to their respective control groups (p<0.05). Furthermore, the albumin and total protein level were significantly decreased in this study (p<0.05) when compared with their control groups. The study concludes that liver exposure induced hepatotoxicity in both male and female rat but more significantly advanced in female than the male. This advancement might have been mediated by the more lead-induced oxidative stress exhibited in the female than male rats.