Determination of Atrazine/Streptozotocin-Induced Oxidative Stress and Mitigating Effect of Virgin Coconut Oil in Male Wistar Rats

The purpose of this study is to assess the ameliorative effect of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) following atrazine-induced metabolic derangement in rats. The research used adult male albino wistar rats weighing 180-200g body weight. They were divided into two major experimental groups at random (The test and recovery groups). Thirty-five (35) rats were randomly divided into five sub-groups of seven rats each (n=7) in the test group and were handled as follows: Subgroup (SG) 1 served as the normal control and received 10ml/kg body weight of distilled water, SG 2 received 10 ml/kg of VCO, SG 3 received 123mg/kg of Atrazine (ATZ), SG 4 was the diabetic control that was left untreated, and SG 5 was the diabetic group that received 10 ml/kg of VCO. The test group received treatment for two weeks, after which the animals were sacrificed and blood was collected for analysis. During these two weeks, thirty-five rats from the recovery group were divided into five sub-groups of seven rats each (n=7) and treated as follows: SG 1 served as the control group, receiving 10 ml/kg body weight of distilled water, SG 2 received 10 ml/kg of VCO, and SG 3, 4, and 5 received 123 mg/kg of ATZ. After 2 weeks, the animals were re-treated for recovery as follows: SG 1 was given 10ml/kg body weight of distilled water, SG 2 was given 10ml/kg of VCO, SG 3 was given 123mg/kg of ATZ, SG 4 was given 10ml/kg of VCO, and SG 5 was given 10ml/kg of distilled water. After two weeks, the animals were sacrificed and their blood was collected for analysis. When compared to the normal control, Gluthatione (GSH), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), and Catalase (CAT) levels were significantly lower (p0.05) in the atrazine and diabetic groups. Following recovery, GSH levels in the VCO recovery group were significantly higher (p<0.05) than in the ATZ group. Finally, ATZ toxicity caused oxidative stress, but its withdrawal significantly reduced stress, with a more pronounced effect after VCO administration.