Biochemical effects of gel and liquid air fresheners sold in Kano on Swiss albino rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Abstract

The study investigated the toxicity potential of air fresheners exposure on swiss albino rats and this was achieved through assessing changes in some biochemical parameters of the exposed animals. Eighty four male albino rats weighting between 120g and 140g were randomly divided into 21 groups of four animals per cage. Ten groups were exposed to gel air fresheners, each group with a concentration of 3g of a particular gel air freshener brand for 8 hours daily, another ten groups were exposed to liquid air fresheners, each group with a concentration of 3ml of a particular brand liquid air freshener daily for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, animals were euthenized and blood samples were collected for biochemical investigations using standard technique. Sera were separated and used to determine the effects of each air freshener exposure on the liver and kidney function. Liver function enzymes Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) increased significantly as compared with the control. Bilirubin, Creatinine and Serum Urea level also increases while the value of Total protein decreases significantly when compared with the corresponding control animals (P>0.05). The study revealed that air fresheners exposure may have toxic effect on liver and kidney of the albino rats. It is recommended to enhance good ventilation instead of air fresheners and remove sources of odors rather than mask it with chemicals.