Oxidative stress and hepatocellular injury induced by oral administration of Cr(3+) in chicken.

This study aims to investigate the oxidative stress and hepatocellular injury induced by Cr(3+) in chicken. Different doses of CrCl3 solutions (50% LD50 , 25% LD50 , and 12.5% LD50) and equivalent water were orally administered to chicken. Chicken liver samples were measured for the activities of antioxidant enzymes, the contents of glutathione, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide to indirectly evaluate the oxidative stress in chicken liver. Results indicated that the oral administration of Cr(3+) at high dose significantly increased (P < 0.05) the MDA levels after 28 days of exposure, with decreased T-AOC, glutathione, and antioxidant enzymes activities. Low and medium doses groups show that T-AOC, glutathione, and antioxidant enzymes activities increased after 14 days, then decreased gradually, but low and medium groups higher than control group, only high group lower than control group finally. These statistics and histopathological analysis suggest that high dose and long-term exposure of Cr(3+) induce oxidative stress and hepatocellular injury.