Objective: 

The frequent use of 4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid (4-CPA), a PGRH (plant growth regulatory hormone), in agriculture may result in serious damage in endocrine organs due to its deposition on vegetables.

In this study, the effects of 4-CPA administration on advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), nitric oxide (NOx) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in pancreatic tissue of rats which are exposed to 4-CPA until prepuberty were investigated.

Methods: 

This study was implemented on 20 day-old, male and female Wistar albino rats. Each gender was divided into four groups: 1.Control, 2. SP control (0.5 ml SP/day orally). Group 3 and Group 4 received 25 mg 4-CPA/kg/day and 100 mg 4-CPA/kg/day, respectively. A single daily dose of 4-CPA was given orally for 30 days. The animals were sacrified by rompun+ketamine anesthesia one day after the last day of the treatment. AOPPs, NOx levels and SOD activity were then measured in pancreatic tissue. The results were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U tests. p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results: 

There was no significant difference among AOPP, SOD and NOx levels between the control and the SP groups in both sexes. NOx and AOPP levels were significantly increased by the administration of 4-CPA whereas SOD levels were significantly decreased in both sexes.

Conclusions: 

Our results may suggest that the prepubertal exposure to 4-CPA increases oxidative stress and decreases the antioxidant capacity in pancreatic tissue and these findings are not gender-dependent.