Developmental toxicity of lead in rats after gestational exposure and the protective role of taurine

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the potential adverse effect of Pb on pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats and their fetuses after maternal exposure, on gestational days (GD) 7–16. The possible protective role of taurine (TA), administered throughout the gestation period (GD 1–20) against Pb toxicity, was also evaluated. Pregnant rats were divided into four groups: Group 1 (control) was given distilled water; Group 2 was exposed to Pb (250 ppm) in drinking water (GD 7–16), whereas Group 3 received TA (50 mg/kg/day) by oral gavage (GD 1–20); Group 4 was exposed to Pb (GD 7–16), whereas pretreated with TA from GD 1 till the end of the gestation period. After termination on GD 20, maternal and embryo‐fetal outcomes were evaluated. Blood samples were collected for hematological and biochemical parameters assessment. The results showed that, Pb induced a significant reduction in the maternal body weight, weight gain, uterine and placental weight, in addition to a high incidence of abortion and fetal resorption. Meanwhile, fetuses demonstrated decreased body weight and length, with a high rate of mortality as well as external and skeletal abnormalities. Additionally, Pb induced severe hematological and biochemical alterations in both dams and fetuses. The toxicity of Pb was further emphasized by placental histopathological examination and hepatic DNA fragmentation. Pretreatment with TA greatly attenuated the impact of Pb on both maternal and fetal parameters. Moreover, TA alleviated the incidence of placental damage and hepatic DNA fragmentation. The results highlight the potential prophylaxis role of TA against maternal and developmental Pb toxicity.

Protective effect of Agaricus bisporus mushroom against maternal and fetal damage induced by lead administration during pregnancy in rats

“…Abnormalities in the ribs were identified across all groups, but the Pb group exhibited abnormalities in 100% of the fetuses analyzed. Our findings are consistent with those of Aglan et al (2021), who reported skeletal variations and malformations, including incomplete and absent ossifications in the offspring of female rats exposed to Pb at a concentration of 250 mg/L.…”

“…The reproductive consequences of Pb intoxication have already been investigated with different species, with different doses, and in different gestational periods (Aglan et al, 2021; Saleh et al, 2018), corroborating the results reported in this study. The increased rates of pre‐ and postimplantation losses, and the decreased fetal vitality in the Pb group are clearly related to Pb toxicity.…”

Evaluation of Antibacterial Effects of Matrix-Induced Silver Ions against Antibiotic-Resistant ESKAPE Pathogens

“…) is an organic compound derived from cysteine; it is a conditionally essential amino acid and is found free or in simple peptides. Taurine has been reported by various researchers to interact with silver; moreover, taurine has been applied for recycling the silver ions from water resources and reducing the toxicity of metal [34,35]. Of many previous mechanistic studies, silver ions have been reported as the major culprit for the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticle [36][37][38].…”