Effect of lead exposure on dopaminergic transmission in the rat brain.
Lead is a neurotoxicant with known behavioral and neurochemical effects. In this study we attempted to relate the behavioral effects of lead to neurotransmission. Oral administration of 1000 ppm of lead acetate to young rats for 30 days caused a reduction in locomotor activity and stereotypic exploratory behavior during a 20 min testing period. This locomotor hypoactivity induced by lead was accompanied by a reduction in stereotypic behavior (sniffing, lickings, biting and grooming). These outcomes suggested that lead might interfere with catecholaminergic and particularly dopaminergic neurotransmission. Therefore, we examined the effect of the lead acetate on the uptake of dopamine in striatal synaptosomal preparations. The collected data showed a clear inhibition of the uptake of 3H-DA with an IC50 of 3.5 x 10(-5)M. This inhibition of the uptake of dopamine suggests that the behavioral effects of lead may be involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission.
NourEddine
Djebli
D
Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Mostaganem 27000, Algeria. djebli_n@yahoo.fr
Miloud
Slimani
S
Abdelkader
Aoues
A
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D009942:Organometallic Compounds; C008261:lead acetate; D004298:Dopamine