naphthoquinones and lead-nitrate

The effects of histochrome on the severity of delayed effects of prenatal exposure to lead nitrate were studied in the rat brain. Exposure of pregnant rats to lead nitrate during activation of free radical oxidation reduced activity of NADH- and NADPH-dehydrogenases in cortical neurons of their 40-day-old progeny, reduced the number of neurons in a visual field, increased the number of pathologically modified neurons, and stimulated rat motor activity in an elevated plus-maze. Two intraperitoneal injections of histochrome in a dose of 0.1 mg/kg before and after lead citrate challenge attenuated the manifestations of oxidative stress and prevented the changes in some morphological and histochemical parameters of the brain, developing under the effect of lead exposure.

Topics: Animals; Brain; Female; Lead; Luminescent Measurements; Motor Activity; NADH Dehydrogenase; NADPH Dehydrogenase; Naphthoquinones; Neurons; Nitrates; Oxidative Stress; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Rats