The Prenatal Toxic Effect of Methylmercury on the Development of the Appendicular Skeleton of Rat Fetuses and the Protective Role of Vitamin E

Abstract

Methylmercury (MeHg) is an environmental contaminant that is found in many ecosystems. Many studies reported that MeHg toxicity is accompanied by increased lipid peroxidation that may lead to oxidative damage to DNA, RNA, and proteins. Vitamin E is considered as the most effective antioxidant preventing lipid peroxidation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of MeHg exposure during pregnancy on the development of the appendicular skeleton in rat fetuses and whether vitamin E administration could reduce this toxicity. Positively mated adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were used and divided into the following experimental groups: control group, received only deionized water, and four MeHg treated groups received 1 mg of MeHg/kg/d, 2 mg of MeHg/kg/d, 1 mg of MeHg/kg/d plus 150 mg of vitamin E/kg/d, and 2 mg of MeHg/kg/d, plus 150 mg of vitamin E/kg/d starting from Day 0 of gestation. On Day 20 of gestation, the fetuses from the pregnant rats were extracted and the fetal growth parameters were evaluated. Skeletal evaluation of ossification of both fore-and hind-limbs, and coxal bones were undertaken. Results showed that treatment with MeHg caused adverse effects on fetal growth parameters and ossification of the bones. The coadministration of vitamin E with MeHg revealed an improvement in these parameters. These results suggest that vitamin E may ameliorate some aspects of MeHg developmental toxicity. The underlying and human health implications warrant further investigations. Anat Rec, 295:939-949, 2012. V C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Morphological and Skeletal Malformations Induced by Gabapentin in Rat Fetuses and their Amelioration by Ginger

“…In line with the use of antioxidant and folic acid therapy for reduction of the frequency and severity of AEDinduced teratogenic effects, it was found that concomitant vitamin E administration significantly attenuated valproic acid and phenytoin induced decrease in crown-rump length, fetal weight and malformations [26,28,39]. The study of Abd El-Aziz et al [36] showed that the co-administration of vitamin E with MeHg was also associated with an improvement in the fetal crown-rump length, body weight, head length, and biparietal diameter of the rat fetuses. The study of Abou-El-Naga [52] on pregnant mice injected with polycyclic hydrocarbons and curcumin from the GD 6 till the parturition showed improved neonatal growth retardation and reduced malformation rate.…”

“…In developmental studies, the fetal skeleton is an important indicator of embryonic development health and changes in skeletal development commonly reflect changes in the maternal-fetal environment [36]. Fetuses maternally injected with GBP had various skeletal malformations including mandibular hypoplasia, malformation in the ribs and delayed ossification of the vertebrae, skull and limbs.…”

Specific Association of Teratogen and Toxicant Metals in Hair of Newborns with Congenital Birth Defects or Developmentally Premature Birth in a Cohort of Couples with Documented Parental Exposure to Military Attacks: Observational Study at Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza, Palestine

“…Mercury is a teratogen, with no known mutagenic action; it transpasses the placenta [37,38,39,40], interferes in key pathways in development [42,43,44]: Notch pathway [42], modulation of key enzymatic antioxidant and oxidative stress makers [44,45]; it affects sperm phenotypes [46], and various organ compartments during rat embryogenesis [47,48], and is neurotoxic [17,49]. Mercury is an endocrine disruptor and affects spermatogenesis, causes malformations and reproductive damages in mammals and human [10,50].…”

Adverse Effects of Cypermethrin on the Chick (Galus domesticus) Development are Reversed by Co-Treatment with Vitamin E and Olive Oil

“…The treatment of vitE has been found to alleviate toxic hematological effects of CN induced oxidative stress in broiler chicks (Sharaf et al, 2010;Aslam et al, 2010). Moreover, the decreased skeletal ossification in fetal rats on methyl mercury exposure has been found to be reversed with vitE treatment (Abd et al, 2012).…”