Background: The widespread use of petroleum products in modern industries has raised concerns about their potential toxic effects on biological systems. The study explored the effect of petroleum product inhalation on the oxidative stress parameters of the male Wistar albino rats. Method: Forty-five rats, aged three months and weighing 180–220 g, were divided into five groups: Group A (Control), Group B (PMS exposure - 500 ml), Group C (Kerosene exposure - 500 ml), Group D (Diesel exposure - 500 ml), and Group E (Mixed petroleum products - 500 ml). The exposure lasted for 28 days, with lungs and hippocampal tissue homogenate samples collected at day 0, 14, and 28 to measure hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging activity, nitric oxide (NO) activity, reduced glutathione (GSH) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Results: The results showed that H2O2 scavenging activity, NO activity and MDA level were significantly increased (p>0.05) (24.34 ± 1.19, 4.90 ± 0.54, and 1.20 ± 0.14 mg/dl) when compared to control (31,04 ± 1.11, 4.15 ± 0.59 and 1.46 ± 0.20 mg/dl) while GSH level and SOD activity were significantly decreased (p<0.05) (1.93 ± 0.31 and 11.12 ± 0.48 mg/L) when compared with the control (3.28 ± 0.30 and 12.87 ± 0.93 µ/mg). Conclusion: The results inferred the detrimental effects of inhaling petroleum products on critical organ systems, particularly the brain and lungs.
Offor et al. (Wed,) studied this question.