Abstract
203Pb(NO3)2 was administered i.v. to pregnant C57BL mice at different stages, from day 8 to day 18 of gestation. The whole animals or excised uteri were subjected to autoradiography or were autopsied for scintillation counting of excised organs. Lead appeared in embryonic and fetal tissues at all stages of gestation. Early (approx. day 8–11) lead was restricted mainly to the embryonic blood, suggesting that free lead was essentially not transferred to the embryo but may have been incorporated in the embryonic hemoglobin when the erythrocytes were formed in the yolk sac placenta (an extraembryonic membrane). From day 12 and later, an uptake was seen in the liver and the cartilaginous skeleton, and from day 14, a strong accumulation was found in calcified bone. This means that the overall fetal concentration increased successively with gestational age of the conceptus. The uptake in fetal liver may be related to the erythropoiesis taking place in the liver in later gestation. While an accumulation of lead was observed in proximal tubuli of the maternal kidney, no corresponding uptake occurred in the fetal kidney. Although lead is teratogenic, causing among others skeletal defects, no effect of inorganic lead in mM concentration was seen on a chondrogenic cell system in vitro. Due to the predominance of lead in hemoglobin, a mechanism of teratogensis based on inhibition of fetal hemoglobin synthesis or function is discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barka T, Anderson PJ (1965) Histochemistry: Theory and practice. Harper & Row, New York, pp 77–79
Barltrop D (1969) Transfer of lead to the human foetus. In: Barltrop D, Burland WL (eds) Mineral metabolism. Blackwell Scientific Publ., Oxford Edinburgh, pp 135–151
Baumann A (1933) Zur Pharmakologie des Bleis; über die Durchlässigkeit der Plazenta für Blei. Arch Gynaek 153:584–592
Byers RK, Lord EE (1943) Late effects of lead poisoning on mental development. Am J Dis Child 66:471–494
Caplan AI (1972) Effects of a nicotinamide-sensitive teratogen 6-aminonicotinamide on chick limb cells in culture. Exp Cell Res 70:185–195
Carpenter SJ (1982) Enhanced teratogenicity of orally administered lead in hamsters fed diets deficient in calcium or iron. Toxicology 24:259–271
Carpenter SJ, Ferm VH (1977) Embryopathic effects of lead in the hamster. A morphologic analysis. Lab Invest 37:369–385
Carpenter SJ, Ferm VH, Gale TF (1973) Fermeability of the golden hamster placenta to inorganic lead; autoradiographic evidence. Experientia 29:311–313
Danielsson BRG, Hassoun E, Dencker L (1982) Embryotoxicity of chromium: Distribution in pregnant mice and effects on embryonic cells in vitro. Arch Toxicol 51:233–245
Dencker L (1982) Disposition of chemicals in the developing embryo and fetus. Biol Res Pregn 3:114–121
Dencker L, Nilsson A, Rönnbäck C, Walinder G (1976) Uptake and retention of133Ba and140Ba-140La in mouse tissues. Acta Radiol [Ther] (Stockh) 15:273–287
Ferm VH, Carpenter SJ (1967) Developmental malformations resulting from the administration of lead salts. Exp Molec Pathol 7:208–213
Gerber GB, Maes J (1978) Heme synthesis in the lead-intoxicated mouse embryo. Toxicology 9:173–179
Goetinck PF, Pennypacker JP, Royal PD (1974) Proteochondroitin sulfate synthesis and chondrogenic expression. Exp Cell Res 87:241–248
Grabowski CT (1970) Embryonic oxygen deficiency — a physiological approach to analysis of teratological mechanisms. In: Woollam DHM (ed) Advances in teratology, vol. 4. Logos Press Ltd., London, pp 125–169
Hackett PL, Hess JO, Sikov MR (1982a) Effect of dose level and pregnancy on the distribution and toxicity of intravenous lead in rats. J Toxicol Environ Health 9:1007–1020
Hackett PL, Hess JO, Sikov MR (1982b) Distribution and effects of intravenous lead in the fetoplacental unit of the rat. J Toxicol Environ Health 9:1021–1032
Kelman BJ, Walter BK (1980) Transplacental movements of inorganic lead from mother to fetus. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 163:278–282
Legge TM, Goadby KW (1912) Lead poisoning and lead absorption. Longmans & Co., London, p 35
McClain RM, Becker BA (1975) Teratogenicity, fetal toxicity, and placental transfer of lead nitrate in rats. Tox Appl Pharmacol 31:72–82
NAS (1972) Airborne lead in perspective. National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
Ong CN, Lee WR (1980) High affinity of lead for fetal haemoglobin Br J Indust Med 37:292–298
Oskarsson A, Squibb KS, Fowler BA (1982) Intracellular binding of lead in the kidney: the partial isolation and characterization of postmitochondrial lead binding components. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 104:290–298
Ridgway LP, Karnofsky DA (1952) The effects of metals on the chick embryo: toxicity and production of abnormalities in development. Ann NY Acad Sci 55:203–215
Taussig FJ (1936) Abortion, spontaneous and induced. Kimpton, London, p 111
Ullberg S (1954) Studies on the distribution and fate of S35-labelled benzylpenicillin in the body. Acta Radiol [Suppl] (Stockh) 118:1–110
Ullberg S (1977) The technique of whole body autoradiography. Cryosectioning of large specimens. Science Tools, The LKB Instrument Journal (Bromma, Sweden): Special Issue on Whole-Body Autoradiography, pp 1–29
Umansky R (1966) The effect of cell population density on the developmental fate of reaggregating mouse limb-bud mesenchyme. Dev Biol 13:31–56
Wilk AL, Greenberg JH, Horigan EA, Pratt RM, Martin GR (1980) Detection of teratogenic compounds using differentiating embryonic cells in culture. In Vitro 16:269–276
Wilson AT (1966) Effects of abnormal lead content of water supplies on maternity patients. Scott Med J 11:73–82
Yamada K (1970) Dual staining of some sulfated mucopolysaccharides with alcian blue (pH 1.0) and ruthenium red (pH 2.5). Histochemie 23:13–20
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Danielsson, B.R.G., Dencker, L. & Lindgren, A. Transplacental movement of inorganic lead in early and late gestation in the mouse. Arch Toxicol 54, 97–107 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01261379
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01261379