title: Evaluation of the toxic effect of the herbicide 2, 4-D on rat hepatocytes: an FT-IR spectroscopic study.
abstract: Infrared spectroscopy is a powerful technique used to investigate molecular structures to the level of bond lengths and angles. In this study, the hepatotoxic effect of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) was investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The experiment was performed on 15 male albino Wister rats (250-350 g) divided randomly into a control group (5 rats) and 2, 4-D-treated group (10 rats). The 2, 4-D-treated group received a single oral gavage LD50 dose of 639 mg/kg body weight; the rats were then killed and the livers excised 24 h after 2, 4-D administration. Spectroscopic results revealed that there was a significant reduction in protein content as well as a marked decrease in the secondary structure of protein after 2, 4-D intoxication. Moreover, looseness of membrane lipid chain packing, lipid polarity and/or significant increases in the formation of lipids with hydroperoxyl groups and carbonyl compounds were shown in the 2, 4-D LD50-treated group compared to the control group. Glycogen is dramatically decreased in rat liver after the induction of 2, 4-D. In conclusion, FTIR spectroscopy proved to be a rapid and sensitive approach to cytotoxicity diagnosis and monitoring of toxin-induced damage in biological membranes and proteins. In addition, the FTIR parameters employed in this study can be used as biophysical indicators of toxin-induced cell or membrane damage during apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Medical Biophysics Laboratory, King Fahd Medical Research Centre, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80216, Jeddah, 21589, KSA. dakhakhni0@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tahani H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Dakhakhni
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA.
authors.forename: Gehan A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Raouf
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA.
authors.forename: Safaa Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Qusti
mesh_terms: D015084:2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006540:Herbicides / Q000633:toxicity*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D018675:Toxicity Tests
chemical_list: D006540:Herbicides; D011506:Proteins; D015084:2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid
keywords: 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; Apoptosis; Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR); Hepatotoxicity; Herbicide; Lipid; Protein; Spectroscopy