Synergistic Hepatotoxic Effects of Cadmium and Allethrin in Mice: Role of Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Responses

Background: Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that is found predominantly in the environment. Allethrin is an insecticide that is used extensively in insect killing sprays and coils. Objective: People may be exposed to pesticides like Allethrin and heavy metals at the same time in environment, therefore, the present study was designed to assess the effect of co-exposure of Allethrin and Cd on hepatic tissues of mice. Methods: Total 32 mice were randomly distributed into four groups, including control, Cd, Allethrin and Cd+Allethrin groups. The trial was conducted for 28 days and then the mice was killed and their blood and liver were taken for further analysis. Results: The results showed that Cd and Allethrin elevated the level of mitochondrial ROS, lipid peroxidation, and inflammatory markers. Moreover, it lowered the activities of antioxidant enzymes and lowered body defense. In addition, they also elevated the levels of AST and ALT that further showed that liver was damaged. Importantly, it was observed that Cd and Allethrin co-exposed group showed the highest intensity of the hepatic damage. Conclusion: These results propose that Cd and Allethrin are mechanistically linked and their damage intensity is increased when they are exposed together.