engleski

Reversibility of the effects of lead on reproductive performance in female rats

Potential reversibility of the reproductive effect of lead was studied in female albino rats after cessation of oral exposure to 7500 ppm lead as acetate in drinking water. Females mated and gave birth to their first offspring during 9 weeks of lead exposure. They then continued or discontinued exposure, were mated for the second time, and had their second offspring during a longer exposure (20 weeks) or after a period without lead. Food consumption, body weights, and fertility index were not altered irrespective of the exposure conditions. In the first and especially in the second offspring of exposed females, survival rates, litter sizes, and body weights of newborn and 11-day-old pups were decreased. Offspring born to dams in which exposure had been stopped were not different from controls. It was concluded that the adverse reproductive action of lead is reversible after withdrawal of the female from exposure.

female reproduction ; lead ; offspring ; oral exposure ; reproductive effects ; reversibility

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