Drinking desalinated seawater for a long time induces anomalies in the development of new-born albino rats

Abstract

The present study aimed to elucidate the abnormalities in the development of rat brains, livers, kidney and behaviours after drinking desalinated seawater prenatally. Three types of drinking water were employed as an experimental probe (bottled water, filtered desalinated seawater and tap desalinated seawater) to investigate neurobehavioral and morphological changes in the development of pup rats. Female rats from each group were administered water from their birth until gestation and lactation. The 1st and 2nd generation pups were divided into three groups: Group C, mothers and pups administered with bottled drinking water (the control group); Group F, mothers and pups administered with filtered drinking water; Group T, mothers and pups administered with unfiltered desalinated seawater (tap water). Morphological changes (CNS aberration) and neurobehavioral changes were studied. The aberrations recorded in the tissues (brain, liver, kidney and spinal cord) of rats from groups T and F may be due to oxidative stress in these tissues such as reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation, peroxidase and super oxide dismutase. In conclusion, drinking desalinated seawater for a long time may cause teratogenic effects in the development of New-born rats.

Deleterious effects of perinatal exposure to potassium bromate on the development of offspring of Swiss mice

“…These aberrations and the neuronal loss may be the reasons behind the poor performance and delayed maturation of the sensorimotor reflexes. Similar findings have been reported by Allam (2017) where tissue damage and neuronal loss were associated with deficits in sensorimotor reflexes.…”

“…findings have been reported by Allam (2017) where tissue damage and neuronal loss were associated with deficits in sensorimotor reflexes.…”

“…The expression of sensorimotor reflexes may reveal the status of certain regions in the central nervous system (CNS) that mediate these reflexes (Allam, 2017). For example, an impaired reflex input might lead to dysfunctional walking in animals (Zehr and Stein, 1999).…”