EVALUATION OF HISTOPATHOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN THE TRACHEA OF ALBINO RATS EXPOSED TO HERBICIDES

Herbicides also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control unwanted plants. Selective herbicides control specific weed species, while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed, while non- selective herbicides (sometimes called total weed killers in commercial products) can be used to clear waste ground, industrial and construction sites, railways and railway embankments as they kill all plant material with which they come into contact. The trachea is a tube that extends from the neck to the chest. It is white and lined with cartilage.Twenty-five (25) albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) of both sexes of about two months and two weeks where purchased and husbanded in the animal house of Madonna University Elele campus Rivers state were used. The comparison of body and organ weights amongst duration of exposure shows there is a difference significantly (p< 0.05).In conclusion, inhalationally absorbed dichlorvos caused demonstrable histopathological changes in liver than in lungs of rats which were ameliorated with antioxidant containing vitamin supplementation. However, histomorphological, biomedical, histochemical and ultrastructural investigations are needed to correlate these findings with the potential threat posed by the continuous exposure to dichlorvos as an insecticide used in pest control, especially in enclosed areas.