The Effects of Sodium Tetraborate against Lead Toxicity in Rats: The Behavior of Some Metabolic Enzymes

[Image: see text] This study was planned to research the in vivo effects of lead (Pb) ions and sodium tetraborate (Na(2)B(4)O(7)) on G6PD and 6PGD, which are some of the enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway, which carries vital importance for metabolism, and GR and GST, which are glutathione metabolism enzymes, and the in vitro effects of the same agents on the 6PGD enzyme. According to the in vivo analysis results, in comparison to the control group, the rat liver G6PD (p < 0.05), and 6PGD (p < 0.01) enzyme activities in the Na(2)B(4)O(7) group were significantly lower. In addition, GR and GST enzyme activities were insignificantly lower in the Na(2)B(4)O(7) group compared to the control group (p > 0.05). The Pb group had lower G6PD and 6PGD enzyme activity levels and higher GR and GST enzyme activity levels compared to the control group, while these changes did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05). In the in vitro analyses of the effects of Pb ions on the 6PGD enzyme that was purified out of rat liver with the 2′,5′-ADP-Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography method, it was determined that Pb ions (200–1200 μM) increased the rat liver 6PGD enzyme activity levels by 33%. On the other hand Na(2)B(4)O(7) was not significantly effective on 6PGD activity. These results will also contribute to future studies in understanding the physiopathology of the states triggered by Pb ions and sodium tetraborate (Na(2)B(4)O(7)).