Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Parameters and Histopathological Changes Due to Simultaneous Exposure to Toluene and High Noise Level in Lung Tissue of Adult Male Rats

Abstract

Abstract Background Concurrent exposure to noise and toluene is a common occurrence in industrial environments. This study is conducted to evaluate oxidative stress parameters and histopathological changes when simultaneously exposed to loud noise and toluene. Methods For this purpose, 32 male Wistar rats in four experimental groups (n = 8 in each group) were used. 1- control group, 2- the group exposed to an 8 kHz octave band noise (100 dB) (8h/day), 3- the group exposed to toluene (500 ppm) (8h/day), 4- the group simultaneously exposed to noise (100 dB) and toluene (500 ppm) (8 h/day). In this study, DNA damage is evaluated by 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (OHdG-8) concentration measurement using the ELISA kit, and lipid peroxidation (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels are determined throughout lung tissue. Results The results partially showed that concurrent exposure to loud noise and toluene could lead to pathological damage to rat lung tissue. Besides, the elevation of OhdG-8 levels and MDA production in the lung was observed, and on the other hand, the GSH level dropped during the simultaneous exposure. Conclusions The results of this study confirmed that the interaction of noise and toluene increases the accumulation of DNA oxidation products, and progressive morphological damage, and also weakens the antioxidant defense system in the rat lung tissues.