DURATION OF FORMALDEHYDE EXPOSURE AND ITS EFFECT ON BODY WEIGHT AND LIVER ARCHITECTURE IN WISTAR RAT

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine the duration of formaldehyde exposure and its effect on body weight and liver architecture in wistar rats. Twenty (20) wistar were used for this study. The rats were divided into four groups with group A serving as control (no exposure to FA) and the others as experimental groups. Group B animals were exposed for 2 hours daily, group C animals were exposed for 4 hours daily, group D animals were exposed for 8 hours daily for a total period of 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed under chloroform anesthesia and blood was obtained through cardiac puncture and the tissue (liver) was collected and placed into formal saline container and allowed to fix for 3 days and thereafter taken to the histopathology laboratory for processing. The tissues were embedded in wax and processed into slide. The statistical analysis was done using graph pad prism version 5.0. Result were presented as mean plus or minus standard error of mean (SEM). P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Microscopic evaluation of liver tissue samples of FA-exposed rats revealed enlarged sinusoids filled with blood and mononuclear cell infiltration in the portal areas and around the central veins. In addition, some of the hepatocytes showed loss of cytoplasm, and some had a hyperchromatic nucleus. The cells of FA-exposed livers, on the other hand, showed an electron-lucent ground-cytoplasm and a hypertrophy of the smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. In conclusion, it was observed that exposure FA caused diverse histopathological changes indicating the destruction in the liver tissue and this destruction has direct relationship with the length of the exposure period.