Lambda-cyhalothrin-induced changes in oxidative stress biomarkers in rabbit erythrocytes and alleviation effect of some antioxidants

Erythrocytes are a convenient model to understand the membrane oxidative damage induced by various xenobiotic-prooxidants. This study was designed to investigate (1) the possibility of lambda-cyhalothrin (LC), a type II pyrethroid, to induce oxidative stress response in rabbit erythrocytes in vitro and its effect on selected antioxidant enzymes and (2) the role of vitamin C (VC; 20 mM) and vitamin E (VE; 2 mM) in alleviating the cytotoxic effects of LC. Erythrocytes were divided into three groups. The first group, previously prepared erythrocytes was incubated for 4 h at 37 °C with different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5 mM) of LC. The second and third groups were preincubated with VC or VE, respectively for 20 min and followed by LC incubation for 4 h. Following in vitro exposure, LC caused a significant induction of oxidative damage in erythrocytes at different concentrations as evidenced by increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels. However, a significant decrease in the content of sulfhydryl groups (SH-groups), and the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were observed. The response was concentration dependent. VC or VE pretreated erythrocytes showed a significant protection against the cytotoxic effects induced by LC on the studied parameters. In conclusion, antioxidant vitamins especially VE could be able to ameliorate LC-induced oxidative stress by decreasing lipid peroxidation and altering antioxidant defense system in erythrocytes.