The hepatotoxic effects of copper-containing polymetallic dust and their correction with sorbents

Industrial dust formed during the extraction and processing of polymetallic ores is a combination of various inorganic compounds. Of these, some inorganic compounds have a predominantly fibrogenic effect, while others have a local, resorptive and toxic-chemical effect. Therefore, the study of the features of morphological changes in the liver under toxic and fibrogenic effects of copper-containing polymetallic dust remains relevant. The morphofunctional state of liver tissue was studied in rats exposed to copper-containing polymetallic dust on the background of alimentary correction for 30 days. The experimental study was conducted on mongrel white male rats, which were divided into 3 groups and kept on a regular vivarium diet. Polymetallic dust of the Balkhash Mining and Metallurgical Combine with a 10% copper (Cu-10%) content ranging in size from 2 to 5 microns was injected once intratracheally in the form of a suspension of 50 mg of dust in 1.0 ml of saline solution according to a generally accepted method. Control animals were injected with 1 ml of saline solution. The rats received an alimentary correction at a dose of 150 g with food. The animals were slaughtered by instant decapitation. Morphometric analysis of the volume ratios of the structural components of the liver revealed an increase in the following indicators in the animals of group II compared to group I: Vv of necrosis – by 1 170 times (p<0.001), Vv of infiltrates – by 345 times (p<0.001), Vv of portal tracts – by 37.71% (p<0.05), Vv of dystrophically altered hepatocytes – by 24.13 times (p<0.001), Vv of fibrosis – 5.09 times (p<0.01). It should be noted that the Vv of two-core cells did not significantly differ from the level in group I. Based on the obtained data, the effect of polymetallic dust with a content of Cu-10% has a more expressed toxic effect on the structure and function of liver hepatocytes of experimental animals. The directed effect of alimentary correction on the system of microsomal oxidation of toxins in the liver and the mechanism of this product is based on stimulation of the formation of water-soluble compounds that are excreted with sorbents from the body.