Chromium-induced membrane damage: protective role of ascorbic acid

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Dey, Sankar Kumar Sankar Kumar | Nayak, Prasunpriya | Roy, Somenath

Affiliations: Department of Human Physiology with Community Health, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore-721 102, West Bengal, India; E-mail:somenathroy @ hotmail, com

Note: [] Corresponding author

Abstract: Importance of chromium as environmental toxicant is largely due to impact on the body to produce cellular toxicity. The impact of chromium and their supplementation with ascorbic acid was studied on plasma membrane of liver and kidney in male Wistar rats (80 - 100 g body weight). It has been observed that the intoxication with chromium ( i. p. ) at the dose of 0.8 mg/100g body weight per day for a period of 28 days causes significant increase in the level of cholesterol and decrease in the level of phospbolipid of both liver and kidney. The alkaline pbosphatase, total ATPase and Na^+ -K^+ -ATPase activities were significantly decreased in both liver and kidney after chromium treatment,except total ATPase activity of kidney. It is suggested that chromium exposure at the present dose and duration induce for the alterations of structure and function of both liver and kidney plasma membrane. Ascorbic acid ( i.p. at the dose of 0.5 mg,/100g body weight per day for period of 28 days) supplementation can reduce these structural changes in the plasma membrane of liver and kidney. But the functional changes can not be completely replenished by the ascorbic acid supplementation in response to chromium exposure. So it is also suggested that ascorbic acid (nutritional antioxidant) is useful free radical scavenger to restrain the chromium-induced membrane damage.

Keywords: chromium, ascorbic acid, membrane, kidney, liver

Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 272-275, 2001