Effect of dimethoate, Qat (Catha edulis)‎ and their combination on male mice body weight

Abstract EN

The protection of Qat (Catha edulis) from different pests is widely practiced to maintain fresh clean foliage.

Dimethoate an organophosphate insecticide, is widely used on Qat trees in the Republic of Yemen and the health hazard of such insecticide is more liable with much higher risk when it is applied to edible crops which are freshly used.

Therefore, the present study was aimed to evaluate both water Qat extracts alone or in combination with sub lethal doses of 1 / 10th LD50 or 1 / 5th LD50 (14 or 28 mg / kg bw) of dimethoate on male mice for investigating their effect on body weight.

There was a significant reduction in male mice body weight after treatment with 2.5 and 5.0 g Qat extract / kg bw compared with the untreated control (P < 0.05).

Simi purl the treatment with 14 or 28 mg dimethoate / kg bw showed significant reduction in male mice body weight after treatment with the higher dose (P < 0.05), 30 days after treatment.

Both tested doses of dimethoate led to decrease of -4.12 and -7.26 % compared with control animals which gained an increase ranged between 7.26 -10.77 % over their original weight.

Also, there was a significant reduction in male mice body weight after treatment with 2.5 and 5.0 g Qat extracts / kg bw or 14 mg Dimethoate / kg bw compared with untreated control (P < 0.05), 30 days after the treatment.

The higher concentration of Qat extract resulted in a decrease of body weight (-11.53 %) compared with control animals.

The adverse effect evaluation of human exposure to Qat alone, or Qat contaminated with pesticide residues reveals the hazards of both acute and long-term exposure to the Qat amines that presented in Qat alone or combined with the hazardous dimethoate insecticide which show contact residual and systemic activity.

Moreover, consuming Qat as fresh leaves double the risk since the farmers use this insecticide for insect control.

This high risk demonstrated in Qat consumers necessitates the public awareness especially between Youngsters to avoid the fatal habit of Qat chewing.

It is also the responsibility of the health officers, educators, the media and growers to revise their philosophy and to implement a new policy in which Qat is no longer encouraged as an acceptable social habit since it affects our health.