Various amounts of paraquat (10(-5) to 10(-12) g) in 0.1 ml saline were instilled directly into the left bronchus of male adult rats. Gravimetric, macroscopic, and microscopic studies on the left lobe of the lung showed that 10(-5) g of paraquat produced lung oedema and macroscopic lesions two and 14 days after doing. The pathology of the lung was similar to that seen after systemic poisoning. ...

Interactions between absorption of paraquat and the polyamines putrescine, cadaverine, and spermine in roots of intact maize (Zea mays L. cv 3377 Pioneer) seedlings were examined. Concentration-dependent kinetics for paraquat and putrescine influx were similar and both kinetic curves could be resolved into a linear and a saturable component. The linear component was previously shown to represen...

PURPOSE Pulmonary fibrosis is a potentially lethal inflammatory disease and there has been no effective medication for this progressive disease up to now. As a model, different therapeutic approaches have been applied for paraquat-induced pulmonary injury and fibrosis. Atorvastatin besides cholesterol-lowering effects possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. The current study wa...

The herbicide paraquat is an environmental factor that may be involved in the etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Systemic exposure of mice to paraquat causes a selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, although paraquat is not selectively incorporated in dopaminergic neurons. Here, we report a contribution of endogenous dopamine to paraquat-induced dopamin...

The use of the herbicide paraquat (1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridylium dichloride; PQ) which is widely used in agriculture is known to cause dopaminergic neurotoxicity. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect are not fully understood. This present study investigated the behavioral manifestations, motor coordination, and dopaminergic neurodegeneration following exposure to PQ. Male rats were ...

This cytogenetic and pharmacological study attempts to clarify genotoxicity-enhancement-effect of dl-α-tocopherol (one form of vitamin E) in combination with the herbicide 1,1'-dimetyl-4,4'-bipyridium dichloride (paraquat, PQ) on cultured anuran leukocytes using the superoxide dismutase-mimic Mn(III)tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (Mn(III)TMpyP), the hydrogen peroxide-scavenger catalase a...

Due to their specialized location, stem and progenitor cells are often exposed to oxidative stress. Although ATP-binding cassette transporter subfamily G member 2 (Abcg2)-expressing cells have been implicated in cardiac protective mechanisms involving oxidative stress, there remains a lack of understanding regarding the behavior of cardiac Abcg2-expressing cells when exposed to ROS. The aim of ...

Autophagy is a degradative mechanism involved in the recycling and turnover of cytoplasmic constituents from eukaryotic cells. This phenomenon of autophagy has been observed in neurons from patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), suggesting a functional role for autophagy in neuronal cell death. On the other hand, it has been demonstrated that exposure to pesticides can be a risk factor in the ...

When properly used, paraquat (PQ) is a widely used bipyridil herbicide with a good safety record. Most cases of PQ poisoning result from intentional ingestion, with death resulting from hypoxemia secondary to lung fibrosis in moderate to severe poisonings. With high ingestion volumes (>50 mL of a 20% wt/vol formulation), death results from multiple organ failure and cardiovascular collapse with...

The effects of environmental contaminants (i.e., nonylphenol, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, benzo[a]pyrene, chlorpyriphos, paraquat dichloride, and lead nitrate) on Chironomus hemoglobin were investigated in the 4th instar larvae of Chironomus riparius (Diptera: Chironomidae), with respect to the total hemoglobin contents, individual globin gene expression, individual globin protein expression ...