Abstract
Methylmercuric chloride (MetHg) at the dose of 2.5 mgHg/kg was administered by gavage every other day to pregnant rats from the sixth to the twentieth day of gestation. On the 21st day of gestation, females were sacrificed to allow the evaluation of embryotoxicity and the taking of analytical material. Copper, zinc, iron, and calcium were determined4 by AAS in brain, liver, kidneys, intestine, whole blood, and spleen of pregnant MetHg-exposed, nonpregnant and pregnant control females, and in fetuses as well as in placenta.
Exposure of pregnant rats to MetHg brought about a decrease in the concentration of intestinal iron and calcium compared with control pregnant animals. In whole fetuses where the mother had been exposed to MetHg, the concentrations of calcium and iron were significantly decreased. The skeletal examination showed developmental retardation of fetuses in the MetHg group, which was reflected in enhanced frequency of delayed ossification of the sternebrae, os occipitale, and vertebrae. The copper level in the brains of fetuses from intoxicated mothers was significantly lower and the absolute brain weights were higher than in controls.
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Chmielnicka, J., Brzeźnicka, B., Barański, B. et al. The effect of methylmercury on prenatal development and trace metal distribution in pregnant and fetal rats. Biol Trace Elem Res 8, 191–201 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02917458
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02917458
Index Entries
- Methylmercury, interaction with Cu, Fe, Ca, and Zn
- calcium, interactions with MetHg
- pregnant rats, interactions of MetHg, Cu, Fe, Ca, and Zn
- ossification, of fetus exposed to MetHg, Cu, Fe, Ca, and Zn
- zinc, interaction with MetHg, Cu, Fe, and Ca
- copper, interactions with MetHg, Ca, Zn, and Fe
- iron, interactions with MetHg, Ca, Cu, and Zn
- rat, MetHg, Ca, Cu, Zn, and Fe interactions in the pregnant
- fetus, MetHg, Ca, Cu, Zn, and Fe interactions in the rat