The effects of lead exposure through drinking water on the hitopathological morphology of the hippocampus and cortex in maternal and offspring mice
Objective To establish a mice model of lead(Pb)exposure through drinking water and explore the effects of Pb exposure during pregnancy and lactation on the pathological morphology of hippocampal and cortical tissues in both maternal and offspring mice,as well as the learning memory abilities of maternal mice.Methods Thirty adult female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a control group and low and high-dose Pb exposed groups based on body weight.The control group received purified water freely,while low and high-dose Pb-exposed(low and high-dose)groups received 0.5 g/L and 2 g/L Pb acetate in their drinking water respectively for one week before breeding and continuously poisoned until their offspring reached four weeks of age.The Morris water maze was used to evaluate the learning memory abilities of the maternal mice,and HE staining was conducted to observe the pathological morphology changes in the hippocampi and prefrontal cortex tissues of both maternal mice and offspring.Results Compared to the control group,escape latency of the maternal mice in the low and high-dose group,and swimming distances of the high-dose group were increased,while the platform crossings in both the low and high-dose groups were decreased(P＜0.05,x2=20.381).The hippocampi and cortical tissues of the control maternal mice exhibited uniform staining,clear cell membranes,round nuclei,and relatively intact and well-arranged cell structures.The low-dose group showed varying degrees of nuclear condensation and fragmentation,as well as unclear cell structures in the CA3 region of the maternal and offspring mice's hippocampus,as well as in CA1,CA2,CA3,and DG regions of the hippocampi of offspring mice.High-dose Pb exposure led to nuclear condensation,deep staining,fragmentation,cell contraction,blurred structures,and disorganized cell arrangement in CA1,CA2,CA3,and DG regions of hippocampi in both maternal and offspring mice.In the prefrontal cortex of the low and high-dose groups of maternal and offspring mice,there were signs of nuclear condensation,swelling,nucleolus fragmentation,and blurry cell structures.The degree of damage increased with the rise in Pb exposure concentration.Conclusion Pb exposure through drinking water could cause pathological changes in the hippocampus and cortex of maternal mice,leading to cognitive impairment.Additionally,early-life lead exposure can lead to pathological changes in the hippocampus and cortex,resulting in neuronal damage in offspring mice.
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