title: Lead-induced adverse effects on the reproductive system of rats with particular reference to histopathological changes in uterus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was undertaken to elucidate the adverse effect of lead on female reproductive system following in vivo exposure in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Animals of Group II, III and IV received lead acetate in drinking water (30, 100 and 300 ppm, respectively) for 28 days whereas Group I served as control. Lead levels in digested blood and bone samples were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Marked and a significant decrease in per cent body weight gain was observed in rats of Group IV and III, respectively, compared to that in the control group. Relative uterine weights were found to decrease by 27% in Group III and IV compared to control and low dose lead treated (30 ppm) rats. Lead levels were found to increase in a linear manner in blood along with a marked increase in bone levels in 100 ppm exposure group while there was a decrease in both the blood and bones levels at 300 ppm exposure. Compared to plasma progesterone levels in rats of the control group, a nonsignificant (12.46-21.13%) reduction in plasma progesterone were observed in different lead-treated groups. No apparent gross pathological lesions were observed in any of the vital organs, including uterus. However, histopathological examination of uteri of different groups revealed lead-induced dose-dependent inflammatory changes, which were characterized by thickening of the endometrium, narrowing of uterine lumen, damage to endometrial glands and vacuolar degeneration in endometrial epithelial cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings of this study suggest lead-induced pathophysiological alterations in myometrium, which in turn may affect the reproductive efficiency of animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, U.P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Viswavidyalaya Evam Go-Anusandhan Sansthan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Udayraj Premdas
authors.initials: UP
authors.lastname: Nakade
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, U.P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Viswavidyalaya Evam Go-Anusandhan Sansthan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Satish Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, U.P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Viswavidyalaya Evam Go-Anusandhan Sansthan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Abhishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, U.P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Viswavidyalaya Evam Go-Anusandhan Sansthan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Soumen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choudhury
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, U.P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Viswavidyalaya Evam Go-Anusandhan Sansthan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Rajkumar Singh
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Kuldeep
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Naresh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001822:Body Burden; D001835:Body Weight; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004716:Endometritis / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D009929:Organ Size; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014599:Uterus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D011374:Progesterone; C008261:lead acetate
keywords: Blood; bones; histopathology; inflammation; lead; uterus
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