Perinatal exposure to lead and cadmium affects anxiety-like behaviour
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M Luisa Leret1, Jose Antonio San Millán, M Teresa Antonio
1Department of Animal Biology-II (Animal Physiology), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain. mlleret@bio.ucm.es
Abstract:
The present study examines the effects of early simultaneous exposure to low level of lead and cadmium on anxiety-like behaviour in the rat, and on monoamine levels in the hypothalamus and hippocampus at weaning and adult animals. Rats were intoxicated with cadmium acetate (10 mg/l) and lead acetate (300 mg/l) in drinking water from the beginning of pregnancy until weaning. Maternal co-exposure to lead and cadmium produced mainly alterations in dopaminergic and serotoninergic systems of hippocampus in both age studied, while noradrenaline content in hypothalamus and hippocampus remained unchanged at 75 days of age. The intoxicated rats showed an increased on indices of anxiety on the elevated plus-maze. These long-term changes in anxiety-like behaviour can be related to dopaminergic and serotoninergic alterations detected in hippocampus.
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