title: Biochemical and histopathological effects of subchronic oral exposure of rats to a mixture of five toxic elements.
abstract: Arsenic, cadmium, lead, chromium and mercury are toxic elements that occur with high frequency in the soil and thus in agricultural products in China. To explore their combined effects, thirty male and thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats were orally exposed to a mixture of these elements at high dose (2.11, 6.47, 72.82, 2.26 and 2.71 mg/kg bw/day), medium dose (1/10 of the high dose) and low dose (1/100 of the high dose) via their drinking water for 90 days. The results revealed that BUN increased in all rats given the high dose, and serum creatinine increased in female rats given the medium dose. Decreased ALP levels in all treated male rats accompanied decreased RBC counts. In the high dose group, serum albumin, globulin and total protein content decreased in male rats, whereas serum ALT levels increased in female rats. Pathological changes were observed in the hepatocytes and renal tubules of all rats given the high dose, and the numbers of spermatogenic cells and sperm significantly decreased in both the epididymides and testes of the rats given the high dose. Abnormalities were observed earlier and more clearly in the males than in the females under combined exposure.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100875, China; Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Yijing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Electronic address: caohongbin@bnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hongbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Electronic address: mfy@bnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Fanyun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D045424:Complex Mixtures; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D059550:Toxicity Tests, Subchronic
chemical_list: D045424:Complex Mixtures; D019216:Metals, Heavy
keywords: Combined subchronic toxicity; Hematopoietic variables; Histopathological change; Serum biochemical profile; Toxic elements