Effect of prenatal lead exposure on offspring's learning ability and prevention

  Objective   To evaluate prenatal lead exposure on the offspring's learning ability and protective effects of some drugs(zinc, selenite and VitC)through animal experiments.

  Methods   Forty pregnant wistar rats were divided into five groups randomly: group A(double distilled water, the control groups), group B(A plus 0.1 mol/L Pb acetate), group C(B plus 0.5% VitC), group D(C plus 0.1 mol/L glucono zinc), group E(D plus food containted 0.5 μg sodium selenite), providing them drinking water and food from the first day of gestation respectively, all groups were changed to intake deionized water and common food after birth.The learning ability of the pups were tested by water-maze and down tests at the 21-day old.Pb, Zn and Se concentration of blood and hippocampus were deter mined, so were NA, DA, 5-HT and Ach concentration of cerebral cortex.

  Results   (1) Prenatal lead exposure had adverse effects on the offspring's learning ability, which was probably induced by the decreased 5-HT and Ach and the increased NA, DA concentration in cerebral cortex, and which could be corrected by the supplementation of VitC, Zn and Se.(2)VitC could significantly decrease the lead level of blood, so could Zn and Se.Meanwhile, they also could significantly decrease accumulation of lead in the hippocampus of young rats.

  Conclusion   VitC, Zn and Se had protective function against Pb-induced toxicity and can protect lead toxicity on the offspring's learning ability, which can gain better effect by supplementing them together.