Lead acetate

About: Lead acetate is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2636 publications have been published within this topic receiving 69739 citations.

Succimer treatment and calcium supplementation reduce tissue lead in suckling rats.

Abstract: The effect of combined treatment with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and calcium supplementation in reducing lead absorption and enhancing lead elimination was evaluated in suckling rats under two experimental conditions: during ongoing oral lead exposure (lead acetate, 2 mg Pb kg−1 day−1, total dose 16 mg Pb kg−1) or after lead exposure (72 h after a 2-day lead exposure, total dose 12 mg Pb kg−1 s.c.). The artificial feeding method was used for calcium supplementation, with 6% Ca (as CaHPO4) suspension in cow's milk to increase the daily calcium intake about three times above control values. Artificial feeding lasted for 7 h a day over eight consecutive days. During this period DMSA was administered on 6 days twice a day (0.5 mmol kg−1 day−1 p.o.). At the end of the experiments, Pb, Ca and Zn in the carcass and Pb, Fe and Cu in the liver, kidneys and brain were analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Calcium supplementation during lead exposure reduced tissue lead but had no effect when applied after lead exposure, and DMSA administered either during or after lead exposure lowered the tissue lead. Combined treatment during ongoing lead exposure caused a greater reduction in tissue lead than either DMSA or calcium treatment alone. When administered after lead exposure, it had no advantage over DMSA treatment alone but did not impair its efficacy. Combined treatment had no influence on growth and did not seriously disturb essential element status. It is concluded that calcium supplementation could be applied during DMSA therapy, when indicated. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of exposure to lead on social behaviour in the laboratory mouse

Abstract: Ethological analysis has been employed to study the behavioural effects produced by exposure of mice to lead salts from infancy. Mother mice of the treated group received 0.1% lead acetate as their sole drinking fluid within 24 h after the birth of their litters and the offspring received this fluid from weaning. At 8 weeks, encounters between pairs of unfamiliar mice from the same treatment group and of the same sex were examined by ethological techniques. The frequency and duration of social and sexual investigation was found to be significantly lower in lead-treated mice of both sexes than in their controls. In lead-treated males, agonistic behaviour was also reduced. These effects were due to a reduction in the frequency of several postural elements within each of the categories. Body weight gain was not affected by treatment with lead at this dose level and there were no signs of hyperactivity. The average lead content of the brains was found to be 2.45 nmol/g in the control group and 4.38 nmol/g in the group given lead acetate.