Abstract

Indiscriminate use of pesticides appears to increase the production of free radicals in organisms such as humans and rats. The aim ofthis study was to investigate the effects of insecticide spray on oxidative and biochemical parameters of alloxan-induced diabetic rats exposed to mosquito insecticide. The animals in each group were anesthetized and blood samples were collected from the inferior vena cava after 21 days of exposure. A total of 20 Wistar albino rats were used in this study and they were placed in four different groups each group containing 5 rats. Group 1 was the control group, diabetes was induced in group 2 and 3 animal with alloxan, group 3 and group 4 animals were exposed to insecticide for 21 days. Plasma levels of MDA. SOD. TAG and blood glucose concentration was determined. Blood glucose concentration (mg/dl) of Normal Control rats, Diabetic rats not exposed to insecticide, Diabetic rats exposed to insecticide and Non-Diabetic rats exposed to insecticide at day 21 was 87.25tl.60 mg/dl, 338.75126.80 mg/dl, 167.75±16.95 mg/dl and 92.00^2.12 mg/dl respectively. Statistical significant increase in blood glucose level (P<0.05) was observed at day 21 between control rats and diabetic rats exposed to insecticide spray. Results from this study showed that there was statistical significant increase (P<0.05) in MDA levels between control group and diabetic rats exposed to insecticide spray. SOD activity decreased across the test groups compared with the control group. Greater decrease was observed in non-diabctic rats exposed to insecticide compared with normal control.TAG concentration was observed to be 1.73±0.21 mmol/dl in diabetic rats not exposed and 1.84±0.05 mmol/dl in diabetic rats exposed to insecticide while Non-Diabetic rats exposed to insecticide spray had TAG concentration of 1.55.-t0.09 mmol/dl. This study concludes that the oxidative stress was aggravated due to exposure of the animals to the insecticide. This implies that activities of antioxidants were overwhelmed by free radicals as buttressed by the parameters determined.