Localization of lead in rat peripheral nerve by electron microscopy.
Lead intoxication in rats reliably produces segmental demyelination. Following a single intravenous injection of radioactive lead, localization of tracer was observed sequentially by quantitative electron microscopical autoradiography. The animals injected had been on a lead-containing diet for 70 days; as a result, the blood-nerve barrier was broken down and demyelination was proceeding. Six hours after a single dose, the lead was localized to the endoneurial space of the peroneal nerve, and 72 hours later, to the myelin membrane. Lead may exert a direct effect on the membrane and alter its stability both by altering the lipid content of the membrane and by directly interfering with the lamellar structure.
D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D007854:Lead / Q000378:metabolism*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000378:metabolism*; D011868:Radioisotopes; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D011868:Radioisotopes; D007854:Lead