Effects of Formaldehyde Inhalation on Oxidative Stress in Liver Tissue of Wistar Rat and the Role of Vitamin E

Formaldehyde is a highly toxic gas used in various industries and products. It is used widely as a tissue preservative in laboratories, as a sterilizing agent, and as a disinfectant, and it's considered an occupational indoor air pollutant. The study aim to investigate the effect of formaldehyde inhalation on oxidative stress in liver tissue of wistar rats and the protective role of Vitamin E. The rats were randomly divided into five groups (A, B, C, D and E). Group A (control group) was not exposed to formaldehyde gas or vitamin E throughout the course the experiment, Group B was exposed to formaldehyde gas for a duration of 2 hours daily, Group C was exposed to formaldehyde gas for a duration of 2 hours daily with vitamin E added to their diet, Group D was exposed to formaldehyde gas for a duration of 4 hours daily and Group E was exposed to formaldehyde gas for a duration of 4 hours daily with vitamin E added to their diet, all for a period of 4 weeks respectively. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed under chloroform anesthesia, and the liver were harvested, placed in a plain bottle containing normal saline and then sent to the laboratory for analysis of catalase, superoxide dismustase and malondialdehyde. Statistical analysis was done using Graph pad prism version 8.0.1. Results were presented as Mean ± standard error of mean (SEM). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the mean of test and control values, while Post-hoc test was done using Dunnett's multiple comparison test and P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The data obtained from this research indicated that formaldehyde (FA) exposure without vitamin E induced oxidative stress in the liver tissues of wistar rats, while rats exposed to formaldehyde with vitamin E supplementation showed reduced oxidative stress level in the liver tissues of wistar rats.