Splenomegaly and adrenal weight changes in isolated adult mice chronically exposed to Lead
Inorganic lead is an environmental contaminant of continuing toxicological concern. Since the effects of chronic lead ingestion are most pronounced in neonatal or very young animals, investigations relating to the mental health effects of lead on children have to date been of prime importance. As the perspective of lead toxicity has widened, however, concern about the effects of lead exposure in adults has also been expressed, and several studies have now documented lead-induced learning abnormalities in adult animals. Recently research has shown that lead-treated adult mice fail to develop the isolation-induced aggressiveness typical of untreated control animals. Animal aggression has both neural and endocrine substrates, and with regard to the latter, it is well known that many mammals exhibit changes of adrenal weight and function when subjected to irritable aggression associated with the pressure of population density. Although impairment of adrenal gland functioning has been reported for lead-poisoned humans, few animal studies have yet investigated the effects of chronic lead exposure on the pituitary-adrenal axis. In this paper, changes are described in adrenal weights for mice subjected to isolation and lead exposure. In addition, since it is well known that lead exposure can reduce the survival time of red blood cells, the possibility that the spleen, the disposal center for discarded red cells, might also be affected by lead exposure was investigated.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Western Ontario, London
- OSTI ID:
- 6317545
- Journal Information:
- Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States), Vol. 26:5
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Lead exposure is related to hypercortisolemic profiles and allostatic load in Brazilian older adults
Persistent alteration of pituitary--adrenal function in the rat by prepuberal corticosterone treatment
Related Subjects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ADRENAL GLANDS
SENSITIVITY
LEAD
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
TOXICITY
SPLEEN
ADULTS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
GRAPHS
MICE
NEONATES
SPLENOMEGALY
SURVIVAL CURVES
TABLES
WEIGHT
AGE GROUPS
ANIMALS
BODY
ELEMENTS
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
GLANDS
MAMMALS
METALS
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
RODENTS
SYMPTOMS
VERTEBRATES
560305* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Vertebrates- (-1987)
551000 - Physiological Systems