Toxicity of Microcystins on Antioxidant System in Mouse Liver

The toxicity of microcystins on the antioxidant system in mouse liver was investigated.In the present paper,microcystins were administered by gavage to mice at a daily dose of 0.2 mg microcystins·kg-1 body weight for 28 days.The activities of superoxide dismutase increased significantly after 28 days of exposure while catalase decreased at the terminal of exposure.After 7 days,the content of glutathione in liver decreased as compared with control.Glutathione S-transferase activity augmented in treated group compared with the control after 28 days of exposure,suggesting a higher conjugation rate of the toxins with glutathione.These findings suggest that antioxidant system might play an important role in microcystins detoxication in mice.