Research Article

Gender-Specific Impact of Crude Oil Vapour on Liver Enzymes: Modulating Effects of Vitamin C

Abstract

This study holds considerable significance due to the pervasive exposure of individuals in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria to crude oil vapour on a daily basis, either as a consequence of occupational activities or as a result of oil spillage incidents. The experiment involved subjecting rats to varying concentrations of crude oil vapour over duration of 28 days. A total of forty-eight rats, consisting of twenty-four males and twenty-four females, were randomly assigned to six groups, each comprising five rats of both genders. Group A served as the control and received no treatment, while group B received oral administration of 400 mg/kg bw vitamin C. Groups C to F were exposed to crude oil vapour at concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% v/v, respectively, along with oral co-administration of vitamin C. At the conclusion of the experiment, the rats were euthanized, and their livers were isolated for subsequent standard enzyme assays, specifically alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), performed on both liver tissue and serum samples from male and female rats. In male rats, the ALP activity in both liver tissue and serum samples of rats in Group B and rats in Group C exhibited no significant difference (p>0.05) compared to the Control rats (Group A). Conversely, the liver ALP activity in female rats exposed to 25%, 50%, and 75% concentrations of crude oil vapour showed no significant difference (p>0.05) but was significantly lower (p<0.05) compared to the Control group. The findings from this study indicate that crude oil vapour has detrimental effects on liver function, but vitamin C demonstrates a modulating role at a lower concentration (25%) of crude oil vapour, particularly among male rats.