Age-related differences of hexachlorocyclohexane effect on hepatic oxidative stress parameters of chicks

Acute hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH; 50 mg/kg body wt, i.p.) treatment in young (30-day-old) chicks resulted in elevation of lipid peroxidation (LPX) only in nuclear fractions of livers while the same treatment in immature (7-day-old) chicks resulted in elevation of LPX in various liver subcellular fractions. Treatment of various subcellular fractions of livers with HCH in vitro stimulated increased LPX in young chicks than in immature ones. Hepatic cytoplasmic CN-sensitive and -resistant superoxide dismutase activities in immature chicks were inhibited significantly by HCH but no effect was observed in case of young chicks. The pesticide treatment in both immature and young chicks did not influence hepatic catalase activity. The level of glutathione in the liver of young chicks increased in response to the pesticide treatment but remained unaffected in the case of immature chicks. The results of the present study show that HCH-induced changes in hepatic oxidative stress parameters in chicks are age dependent.