a Neurochemistry Department , National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery "Manuel Velasco Suarez" , Mexico.
Nutr Neurosci. 2017 Nov;20(9):513-518. doi: 10.1080/1028415X.2016.1193967. Epub 2016 Jun 14.
Lead exposure remains a significant environmental problem; lead is neurotoxic, especially in developing humans. In Mexico, lead in human blood is still a concern. Historically, much of the lead exposure is attributed to the use of handcrafted clay pottery for cooking, storing and serving food. However, experimental cause-and-effect demonstration is lacking. The present study explores this issue with a prospective experimental approach.
We used handcrafted clay containers to prepare and store lemonade, which was supplied as drinking water to pregnant rats throughout the gestational period.
We found that clay pots, jars, and mugs leached on average 200 µg/l lead, and exposure to the lemonade resulted in 2.5 µg/dl of lead in the pregnant rats' blood. Neonates also showed increased lead content in the hippocampus and cerebellum. Caspase-3 activity was found to be statistically increased in the hippocampus in prenatally exposed neonates, suggesting increased apoptosis in that brain region. Glazed ceramics are still an important source of lead exposure in Mexico, and our results confirm that pregnancy is a vulnerable period for brain development.
铅暴露仍然是一个重大的环境问题;铅具有神经毒性,尤其是在发育中的人类中。在墨西哥,人体血液中的铅仍然令人担忧。历史上,大部分铅暴露是由于使用手工制作的粘土陶器来烹饪、储存和供应食物。然而,缺乏实验性因果关系的证明。本研究采用前瞻性实验方法探讨了这个问题。
我们使用手工制作的粘土容器来准备和储存柠檬水,这些柠檬水作为饮用水提供给怀孕的老鼠,贯穿整个妊娠期。
我们发现粘土罐、罐子和马克杯平均浸出 200μg/l 的铅,而暴露于柠檬水中导致怀孕老鼠血液中的铅含量增加到 2.5μg/dl。新生儿的海马体和小脑也显示出铅含量增加。在产前暴露的新生儿的海马体中发现 caspase-3 活性显著增加,表明该脑区的细胞凋亡增加。釉面陶瓷仍然是墨西哥铅暴露的一个重要来源,我们的结果证实妊娠是大脑发育的脆弱时期。