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Effect of latent iron deficiency on metal levels of rat brain regions

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Abstract

Seven different metals (iron, copper, zinc, calcium, managanese, lead, and cadmium) were studied in eight different brain regions (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, corpus striatum, hypothalamus, hippocampus, midbrain, medulla oblongata, and pons) of weaned rats (21-d-old) maintained on an iron-deficient (18–20 mg iron/kg) diet for 8 wk. Iron was found to decrease in all the brain regions, except medulla oblongata and pons, in comparison to their respective levels in control rats, receiving an iron-sufficient (390 mg iron/kg) diet. Brain regions showed different susceptibility toward iron deficiency-induced alterations in the levels of various metals, such as zinc, was found to increase in hippocampus (19%,p<0.05) and midbrain (16%,p<0.05), copper in cerebral cortex (18%,p<0.05) and corpus striatum (16%, p<0.05), calcium in corpus striatum (22%,p<0.01) and hypothalamus (17%,p<0.02), and manganese in hypothalamus (18%,p<0.05) only. Toxic metals lead and cadmium also increased in cerebellum (19%,p<0.05) and hippocampus (17%,p<0.05) regions, respectively.

Apart from these changes, liver (64%,p<0.001) and brain (19%,p<0.01) nonheme iron contents were found to decrease significantly, but body, liver, and brain weights, packed cell volume, and hemoglobin content remained unaltered in these experimental rats. Rehabilitation of iron-deficient rats with an iron-sufficient diet for 2 wk recovered the values of zinc in both the hippocampus and midbrain regions and calcium in the hypothalamus region only. Liver nonheme iron improved significantly; however, no remarkable effect was noticed in brain nonheme iron following rehabilitation. It may be concluded that latent iron deficiency produced alterations in various metal levels in different brain regions, and corpus striatum was found to be the most vulnerable region for such changes. It is also evident that brain regions were resistant for any recovery in their altered metallic levels in response to rehabilitation for 2 wk.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    Arti Shukla & K. N. Agarwal

  2. Metal Neurotoxicity Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, M. G. Marg, PO Box 80, 226 001, Lucknow, India

    Girja S. Shukla

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  1. Arti Shukla
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  2. K. N. Agarwal
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  3. Girja S. Shukla
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Shukla, A., Agarwal, K.N. & Shukla, G.S. Effect of latent iron deficiency on metal levels of rat brain regions. Biol Trace Elem Res 22, 141–152 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02916645

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02916645

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