Participação dos receptores CXCR2 para quimiocinas na toxicidade induzida pelo paraquat em roedores

Abstract

Paraquat (PQ) is an agrochemical agent commonly used worldwide, which is allied to potential risks of intoxication. This herbicide induces the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that ends up compromising various organs, particularly the lungs (by the polyamine uptake system), and the brain (by dopaminergic neuronal cell loss). This study evaluated the deleterious effects of paraquat on the central nervous system (CNS) (changes in physiologic parameters, nociceptive responses, locomotor activity and motor coordination, and expression profile of some inflammatory markers), or peripherally (inflammatory cells in the blood and lungs), with special attempts to assess the putative protective effects of the selective CXCR2 receptor antagonist SB225002 on these parameters. PQ-toxicity was induced in male Wistar rats, in a total dose of 50 mg/kg, given by the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route (10 mg/kg each three days). Control animals received saline solution (10 ml/kg) at the same schedule of administration. Separate groups of animals were treated with the selective CXCR2 antagonist SB225002 (1 or 3 mg/kg, i.p.), administered 30 min before each paraquat injection. The major changes found in paraquat-treated animals were: decreased body weight and hypothermia, nociception behavior, impairment of locomotor and gait capabilities, enhanced TNF-α and IL-1β expression in the striatum, and cell migration to the lungs and blood. Some of these parameters were reversed when the antagonist SB225002 was administered, including recovery of physiological parameters, decreased nociception, improvement of gait abnormalities, modulation of striatal TNF-α and IL-1β expression, and decrease of neutrophil migration to the lungs and blood. Taken together, our results demonstrate that damage to the central and peripheral systems elicited by paraquat can be prevented by the pharmacological inhibition of CXCR2 chemokine receptors. The experimental evidence presented herein extends the comprehension on the toxicodynamic aspects of paraquat, and opens new avenues to treat intoxication induced by this herbicide.