Morphometric changes, biochemical values, and kidney morphology of male West African Dwarf goats exposed to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)

Abstract

This study investigated the morphometric changes, biochemical parameters, and kidney morphology of male West African Dwarf goats exposed to graded levels of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Four groups of five goats were used for this experiment. Goats in three of the groups were exposed to oral administration of 2,4-D as follows: group A, low dose (75 mg/kg body weight); group B, medium dose (100 mg/kg body weight); and group C, high dose (125 mg/kg body weight); every 72 h for a period of 112 days. The group D goats served as the control and received no 2,4-D treatment. Morphometric changes, biochemical parameters, and histomorphological features of the kidney of goats exposed to 2,4-D were compared with control goats. Exposing male goats to 2,4-D treatment led to reduction in mean body weights (p < 0.05), mean blood glucose (p < 0.05), and mean total serum protein (p < 0.05) concentrations. The histomorphology of the kidney sections of the 2,4-D-treated goats was that of subacute to chronic exudative glomerulonephritis; and the severity of lesions increased with higher 2,4-D concentration. It was concluded that exposing male West African Dwarf goats to varied concentrations of 2,4-D herbicide resulted in reduction in weight gain, changes in blood glucose and total serum protein concentrations, as well as glomerular, tubular, and interstitial lesions in the kidney.