title: Responses of glutamate cysteine ligase and glutathione to oxidants in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus).
abstract: Sensitivities of a wildlife species, deer mice, to oxidants were evaluated. A single dose (1589 mg/kg body weight by intraperitoneal injection) of carbon tetrachloride, a typical hepatotoxicant, caused changes in GCL activity and GSH content in multiple organs of deer mice. Hepatic GCL activity and GSH content were depleted substantially (P<0.01), renal GCL activity increased (P<0.05). Blood, brain and heart GCL activities increased (P<0.05), whereas GSH contents decreased significantly. Deer mice were exposed to Pb, or Pb together with Cu and Zn via drinking water for 4 weeks. GCL activities were not significantly affected by treatments. GSH contents were increased significantly by Pb alone, Pb with medium and high concentrations of Cu and Zn. Effects of multi-metal-contaminated soil were investigated via lactational, juvenile and lifelong exposure to feed supplemented with soils. Metal-contaminated soils did not lead to significant effects in pups via lactation, 50-day exposure altered GSH content marginally, while 100-day exposure resulted in marked GCL activity depletion. After 100-day exposure, GCL activities of the medium soil-, high soil- and Pb-treated deer mice were only 53%, 40% and 46% of the control, respectively (P<0.0001).
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA. hongmeiwwu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Hongmei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Tobias J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Isanhart
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hooper