Ameliorative effect of date palm pollen against carbendazim toxicity in lymph node of rats

Carbendazim (CBZ) is a widely used fungicide that controls a variety of fungal diseases affecting crops. The widespread use of CBZ has raised concerns regarding its environmental persistence and its potential toxicological effects on non-target organisms, including humans. To the best of our knowledge, the CBZ toxicity on lymph node structure, that plays a critical role in immune response, was not reported. Therefore, we examine the chronic exposure of sub-lethal dose of CBZ on the histological structure of lymph node in rats. Moreover, we examine the therapeutic potential of date palm pollen (DPP) in counteracting CBZ toxicity. 32 of male albino rats (Rattus rattus) were divided into 4 groups: control, CBZ (10 mg/Kg bw), DPP (100 mg/Kg bw), and CBZ with DPP; and the exposure experiment was lasted for 2 months. CBZ caused severe histopathological changes in the lymph node structure such as atrophic lymphoid follicle, thick capsular, hemorrhage, and congested lymphoid sinus. Treatment with DPP alone showed normal structure of lymph node as control group; while it seems that DPP mitigates the negative effects of CBZ when combined together and showed mostly normal structure of lymph node. The capacity of DPP to mitigate the CBZ toxicity might return to its chemical composition that enhance the ability to detoxify harmful substances by neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) that might be generated during CBZ exposure. However, future biochemical and physiological studies are needed to examine CBZ toxicity and the therapeutic potential of DPP.