Abstract
Retrospective clinical studies have suggested that exposure to lead in early life may result in chronic renal disease during adulthood. We established an animal model to test this hypothesis. Sprague-Dawley rats received either tap water (C) or a 1% lead acetate solution in water (E) from 3 to 9 weeks of age and were studied in pairs either 2-6 weeks or 14-18 weeks after exposure. Since no statistical differences in renal function between C and E as a function of age were found, the results were pooled and analyzed by paired t-test.
Lead intoxicated animals failed to grow. Total kidney GFR was lower in E than C; proportional changes in SNGFR indicated homogenous distribution of the functional impairment among various nephron populations. There was no difference in intrarenal distribution of blood flow between C and E. The blood pressure expressed as the ratio of E/C increased from .99±.02 in the animals studied shortly after lead exposure to 1.10±.04 in those studied long after it, p<.02. Thus, limited exposure to lead in early life results in a significant and persistent impairment in renal function and in a rise in systemic blood pressure.
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Aviv, A., John, E., Goldsmith, D. et al. THE EFFECT OF LEAD INTOXICATION DURING DEVELOPMENT UPON THE KIDNEY. Pediatr Res 11, 547 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-01061
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-01061