• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.60-66
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• 2003

This study was carried out to elucidate the preventive mechanism of molybdenum on lead-induced neuropathy, An animal model of lead neuropathy was induced by feeding diet containing lead to Sprague-Dawley rat for three weeks. Four weeks aged Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups : normal control group, 10ppm-lead treated group, 1mg/kg-molybdenum treated group, 10ppm-lead and 1mg/kg-molybdenum treated group. The parameters on neuropathy were examined by measuring concentration of myo-inositol and myo-inosito uptake in sciatic nerve. In the lead-treated rats, myo-inositol concentration and myo-inositol uptake rate were reduced by from 54% to 33% respectively. This deficit results from that myo-inositol uptake system which is carrier mediated and sodium-potassium dependent was inhibited by the lead treatment. However, the molybdenum administration significantly eliminated the impairment and maintained myo-inositol concentration to about 82% of normal level. These results suggest that lead-induced neurotoxicity was significantly reduced by administration of molybdenum and the mechanism might be partly normalization of myo-inositol uptake system in sciatic nerve.