Chronic Exposure to Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) Disrupted the Functional Integrity of the Bone Marrow of Splenectomized Wistar Rats

Abstract

Splenectomy is a surgical intervention recommended for a variety of diseases and neoplastic conditions. Understanding the vulnerabilities of splenectomized individuals to various forms of toxicities will inform the lifestyle changes and management of such  individuals. In this study, bone marrow integrity following chronic carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) toxicity in splenectomized female Wistar  rats was investigated. Fifteen (15) female Wistar rats, with a mean body weight of 172.36 ± 2.48g and randomly allocated into three  groups of five rats each were used. Group I were untreated and served as the control. Group II were unsplenectomized (intact) and CCl₄  treated. Group III were splenectomized and CCl₄ treated. For the treatment, CCl₄ was diluted in paraffin oil to a concentration of 10% CCl₄  and administered at the dose of 3 ml/kg each, intraperitoneally. Bone marrow activities for all groups were evaluated using  haematopoietic indices relating to proliferation and maturation of myeloid, erythroid and lymphoid cell lines. The result showed that while chronic CCl₄ toxicity in rats moderately depressed the maturation of myeloid and erythroid cell lines without severely affecting the  overall haematopoietic capabilities of the marrow, these changes were exacerbated in the bone marrow of splenectomized rats.