Prenatal and postnatal antimony exposure in rats: effect on vasomotor reactivity development of pups.

Pregnant female rats were exposed to antimony trichloride (0.1 and 1 mg/dl in their drinking water ad libitum) from the first day of pregnancy until weaning (22nd day after delivery). Pups were exposed to antimony trichloride (0.1 and 1 mg/dl in their drinking water ad libitum) from 22nd until 60th day of age. Antimony exposure did not significantly affect maternal and pup systolic arterial blood pressure, length of gestation, and number of newborn per litter. Antimony exposure decreased maternal and pup body weight. No macroscopic teratogenic effects have been observed. Whether or not pups were exposed to antimony trichloride, pressor responses to carotid occlusion and 1-noradrenaline and hypotensive responses to 1-isoprenaline and acetylcholine were significantly higher on the 60th than on the 30th day of age. In pups, prenatal and postnatal antimony exposure did not affect pressor response to carotidal occlusion, while it decreased pressor response to 1-noradrenaline and hypotensive response to 1-isoprenaline on the 60th day after birth. At last, antimony exposure at higher concentration decreased pup hypotensive response to acetylcholine on the 60th day.