ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the impact of low-level lead exposure on neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) expression of primarily cultured hippocampal neurons.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Wistar rats gestated at 18th day were anaesthetized and paunched to get the pups, the hippocampi of the pups were separated and the hippocampal neurons were primarily cultured. After co-cultivated with different dosage of PbCl(2), the NCAM expression of the neurons were tested with Western blotting at different culture time.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Normally, the expression of NCAM at the 1st culture day was very low and its integral obsorbency density was 14; the climax expression time of NCAM of the cultured hippocampal neurons was 3rd to 5th cultured day, and their integral obsorbency density were 2 542 to 2 580; henceforth, the NCAM expression declined. NCAM expression was inhibited significantly by lead during the 2nd to 4th cultured day, and dose-response relationship was observed. The inhibition of lead weakened along with the cultured time prolonged, at 5th cultured day, it disappeared, and the NCAM expression of 10(-2), 10(-3) and 10(-4) mmol/L groups even exceeded the control groups. After that, the expression of NCAM in all groups began to decline, and the dose-response relationship of lead to the NCAM expression was observed again.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Low-level lead might significantly inhibit the NCAM expression of the primarily cultured Wistar rats' hippocampal neurons, and might delay the climax NCAM expression time.</p>