The aim of this study was to determine the effect of
herbicide fluazifop, on the early occurring changes in rat liver regarded as hepatic markers of
peroxisome proliferators (PPs).
Fluazifop was administered orally to male Wistar rats at increasing doses from 5.6 to 891 mg/kg
body weight per day for 1, 2, 4, 7 and 14 consecutive days and peroxisome proliferation, induction of some peroxisome-associated
enzymes and mitogenesis (S-phase, M-phase and percentage of binucleated hepatocytes) were studied. Short-term treatment of rats with
fluazifop resulted in
hepatomegaly due to time dependent proliferation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) and peroxisomes. The increase in the number of peroxisomes in the hepatocytes was supported by an increase in peroxisomal
palmitoyl-CoA oxidation and
catalase activity. In contrast to other PPs
fluazifop induced low rate of rcplicative
DNA synthesis and did not affect mitoses (M-phase).
DNA synthesis was accompanied by the appearance of binucleated hepatocytes. Thus, we can conclude that
fluazifop produces in male Wistar rats
hepatomegaly due to cellular
hypertrophy. The threshold dose for
palmitoyl-CoA oxidation and
DNA synthesis was 112 and 223 mg/kg
body weight per day, respectively. The value for
hepatomegaly and
catalase activity was 56 mg/kg
body weight per day. The results presented in this paper demonstrated that
fluazifop can be classified as a weak rodent PPs.