Blood and tissue levels of diazinon in rabbit following a subacute dermal exposure to incremental doses

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Uncontrolled application of diazinon (DZN)<br />can cause environmental contamination and adverse health<br />effects on humans or animals. OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to<br />investigate the toxic effects and the level of DZN in serum and<br />tissues of rabbits following a sub acute dermal exposure to<br />toxicant. METHODS:Different doses of DZN were applied daily<br />to New Zealand rabbits through the ear skin in incremental doses<br />for 4 weeks. Blood samples were collected at the beginning and<br />the end of each dose-week period. Tissue samples were collected<br />from brain, muscle, kidney and liver on day 28, after euthanizing<br />the rabbits. DZN contents of the blood and tissue samples were<br />measured using a reversed phase HPLC system. RESULTS:<br />Clinical observations indicated signs of toxicity in the animals<br />exposed to DZN as shown by diarrhea and body weight loss from<br />day twenty. The level of DZN in the blood elevated with<br />enhancing exposure time and reached the highest level at the end<br />of the fourth week (0.620±0.26ppm). The highest level of DZN<br />was found in the brain tissue (0341±0.015 ppm). CONCLUSIONS:<br />The results of this study revealed the tissue accumulation and<br />subsequent toxic effects of DZN following the subacute dermal<br />exposure to the toxicant. It suggests that the determination of the<br />toxicant level in the serum or tissue can be a monitoring method<br />for the detection of the contamination rate.