A 74-year-old man with double vessel coronary artery disease presented with angina on exertion grade II associated with hypertension. He was a reformed smoker and was leading an active life for his age. He came from Jhunjuna province of Rajasthan, India, which is notorious for a high fluoride content in the drinking water. He gave a history of difficult spinal block for transurethral resection of prostrate, some 10 years earlier, which he recollected as 3–4 ‘pricks’ in his back. On examina
In conclusion, exposure to high fluoride levels [30 & 100 ppm] in drinking water during early stages of life led to increased oxidative stress in the liver of rats as indicated by elevated MDA level and disturbed antioxidant defenses. Adaptive mechanisms in the form of increased activities of GSH-Px and GST operated to combat fluoride induced oxidative stress. But, increased oxidative stress led to depletion of the intrinsic free radical scavengers glutathione and ascorbic acid.
