Early and delayed biochemical effects of paraquat toxicity on rat lung

This research was undertaken to study the early and delayed biochemical effects of paraquat dichloride on the lungs of rats. To accomplish this, female rats were given a sublethal dose (18 mg/kg) of paraquat, in a single (ip) injection. At the end of 24 hr, only catalase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activities and nonprotein sulfhydryl (NPSH) levels were significantly (P < 0.05) increased above saline (0.9%) -injected controls. However, at 6 days after paraquat injection, all biochemical indices measured were significantly (P < 0.02) above those values of controls. These findings indicate that the biochemical changes produced by paraquat might be consistent with the changes in the population of cell types, which are well documented histologically by other investigators.