Hepatotoxic Effect of Petrol and Kerosene Contaminated Diet on Albino Wistar Rats
The consumption of Petrol or kerosene contaminated food products by people in rural areas exposed to oil drilling regions could be dangerous. Thirty male albino wistar rats with an average weight of 150-200g were selected for this study. They were grouped into five (5) groups; Group A (6 rats) served as control, Group B (6 rats) were given high dose of petrol contaminated fish, Group C(6 rats) were given low dose of petrol contaminated fish, Group D received high dose of kerosene contaminated fish ,while Group E received low dose of kerosene contaminated fish. The feeding lasted for only two weeks. At the end of 2 weeks, blood samples were collected from the animals by cardiac puncture and their serum were used to conduct liver function test. The result from the analysis indicated that there was a significant increase in the Liver enzymes namely: Aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphatise, alanin transferase in the animals exposed to both high and low doses of the food contaminated with kerosene and fuel. Also there was increase in the total bilirubin of the rats exposed to high dose of the food contaminated with kerosene (p<0.05). There was a slight increase in conjugated bilirubin in the animals that received high dose of Petrol and Kerosene contaminated food. It could be deduced from this research that kerosene and Petrol contaminated fish has a toxic effect on the liver, thus causing damage or inflammation to the liver.