Objective To study the effect of sulfur dioxide (SO2) inhalation on lipid peroxidation (LPO) in 9 organs (brain, lung, liver, heart, spleen, kidney, stomach, intestine and testis) of mice, and to probe into the mechanism of toxicological role on mammalian cells by SO2 exposure.
Methods The levels of MDA of the organs were measured after the mice exposed to SO2 at different concentrations each day for 6 hours an d for 7 days, using fluorescence spectrophotometer.
Results (1) LPO levels in all organs of mice increased with SO2 inhalation concentrations in dose-dependent manner; (2) Under SO2 inhalation at low concentration (22±2) mg/m3, LPO damage in different organs were different. There were differences among the different organs. However, these differences among the organs tested would be decreased with SO2 concentrations; (3) There were sexual differences for levels of oxidation damage by SO2 in various organs from male and female mice.
Conclusion (1) SO2 could cause oxidation damage in multiple organs of mice, it was a systemic toxin; (2) Oxidation damage caused by SO2-producing reactive oxygen species, might be one of the primary mechanisms of toxicological role of SO2 on mammalian cells.