Prenatal exposure to methylmercury alters locomotor activity of male but not female rats

被引：0

作者：

A. D. Rossi

E. Ahlbom

S.-O. Ögren

P. Nicotera

S. Ceccatelli

机构：

[1] Department of Neuroscience,

[2] Karolinska Institutet,undefined

[3] Stockholm,undefined

[4] Sweden,undefined

[5] Institute of Environmental Medicine,undefined

[6] Division of Toxicology,undefined

[7] Karolinska Institutet,undefined

[8] Box 210,undefined

[9] S-171 77 Stockholm,undefined

[10] Sweden Tel.: +46-8-728-7586,undefined

[11] Fax: +46-8-329041,undefined

[12] e-mail: sandra.ceccatelli@imm.ki.se,undefined

[13] Faculty of Biology,undefined

[14] Chair of Molecular Toxicology,undefined

[15] University of Konstanz,undefined

[16] Konstanz,undefined

[17] Germany,undefined

来源：

Experimental Brain Research | 1997年 / 117卷

关键词：

Key words Methylmercury; Locomotor activity; Dopamine; d-Amphetamine; Tyrosine hydroxylase;

D O I：

暂无

中图分类号：

学科分类号：

摘要：

In the present study the neurotoxic effects of a low dosage (0.5 mg/kg per day) of methylmercury (MeHg) on the developing nervous system were investigated. Pregnant rats were treated with MeHg from day 7 of pregnancy to day 7 of lactation. Locomotor activity (locomotion, rearing, and motility) and spatial learning ability were tested in the offspring at 6 months of age. The expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was examined by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. A significant decrease in spontaneous motility and rearing was observed only in the MeHg-treated male rats. After administration of a low dose of d-amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg) no differences could be observed between control and MeHg-treated male rats, suggesting that changes in dopaminergic transmission were involved. However, no change in TH messenger RNA expression was observed. No changes in spatial learning acquisition or memory were shown in MeHg-treated rats. Taken together, these findings show that during development a very low dosage of MeHg exerts neurotoxic effects detectable in adulthood, and that susceptibility is gender-dependent.

引用

页码：428 / 436

页数：8