LAUSR

Ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid) is a widely used plant growth regulator. This study aims to evaluate the potential protective effect of sodium selenite (Se) in ethephon-induced subacute intoxication. We worked on 4 groups of Wistar rats which received as follows: control group saline; group Se selenium 1 mg/kg/day; group Eth ethephon 200 mg/kg/day; Se+Eth selenium 1 mg/kg/day and ethephon 200 mg/kg/day. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), alkaline phosphatase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant status (TAS), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartat aminotransferase (AST), creatinine and urea have been determined in plasma for all groups of rats. Se administration (in group Se+Eth) reversed the elevation of ALT (44.68 ± 8.73 U/L versus 55.77 ± 4.87 U/L, p = 0.0406), urea (218.33 ± 41.67 mg/dL versus 270 ± 36.33 mg/dL, p = 0.0369) and antagonised the decrease of TAS activity (3.30 ± 0.17 mmol/L versus 2.69 ± 0.45 mmol/L, p = 0.0088) versus group Eth. Selenium (group Se+Eth) alleviated the histopathological aspect compared to group Eth. In conclusion, Selenium showed a partial protective effect in ethephon-induced subacute intoxication in rats.