Potential hazards of feeding albino rats on diet containing repeatedly boiled cooking oil: Clinicopathological and Toxicological studies

Boiling of vegetable oils repeatedly leads to formation of a class of toxic substances. The potential clinicopathological and toxicological effects of repeatedly boiled oil (RBO) in albino rats were investigated in this study. The results showed a significant increase in body weight gains in fresh oil (FO) and one time boiled oil (OBO) groups while it was significantly decreased in RBO group. The liver, kidney and brain-relative weights showed a significant increase in RBO group. The hematological parameters implicated a significant increase in total leukocyte count, neutrophil and basophil percentages while lymphocyte percentage showed a significant decrease. The lipid profile showed a significant increase in serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL levels while HDL level decreased significantly particularly in OBO and RBO groups. A significant decrease in the concentrations of total protein and albumin and a significant increase in the levels of glucose, BUN, creatinine and serum enzymatic activities of ALT and AST in OBO and RBO groups were recorded. The liver, kidneys and brain of treated groups implicated presence of inflammatory and degenerative changes. It is concluded that, repeat boiling of dietary oils should be avoided as this results in significant adverse clinicopathological, toxicological and pathological effects with weight losses in experimental animals.