Friday E Uboh
University of Calabar, Nigeria
Title: Comparative effect of vitamins A (retinol) and E (α-tocopherol) on gasoline vapor induced atherosclerotic risk in rats
Biography
Biography: Friday E Uboh
Abstract
Exposure to gasoline vapors (GV) have been reported to be a potential atherosclerotic risk factor in rats. In this study, a comparative effect of vitamins A (retinol) and E (α-tocopherol) on GV-induced atherosclerotic risk was investigated in male rats. Twenty-four (24) male rats, 210±20 g, used in the study were distributed into four groups (A-D), with six rats each. The rats in group served as the control, while rats in groups B, C and D were exposed to GV (17.8±2.6 cm3/h/m3/day), 6 hours/day, 5 days/week, for 30 days by whole body and nose–inhalation in an exposure chamber. Retinol (400 IU/kg/day) and α-tocopherol (200 IU/kg/day) were respectively concomitantly administered orally to the test rats in groups C and D, one hour after each day’s exposure. The results of this study showed that exposure to GV caused a significant (p<0.05) increase in total serum cholesterol (Chol), triacylglycerol (TG), LDL-Chol, VLDL-Chol, TG/HDL-Chol and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), and a significant decrease in serum HDL-Chol in rat’s model. However, the elevated Chol, TG, LDL-Chol, VLDL-Chol, TG/HDL-Chol and AIP levels induced by exposure to GV were significantly (p<0.05) reduced by the administration of retinol and α-tocopherol; while the decrease in serum HDL-Chol recorded for rats exposed to GV was significantly (p<0.05) reversed following the same treatment with retinol and α-tocopherol. The observations made from the results of this study supported the hypothesis that exposure to gasoline vapor is a risk factor for atherosclerosis. It also gives a strong indication that retinol and α-tocopherol may be used to reverse the atherosclerotic risks associated with exposure to GV in rats, and α-tocopherol tends to have a more potent effect than retinol.