Effects of sodium fluoride on growth and development and serum oxidative stress of offspring rats / 中华地方病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effects of sodium fluoride on growth and development and serum oxidative stress of offspring rats.Methods:Twenty-four clean female SD rats and 24 clean male SD rats were selected, weighting 180 - 220 g, and mating in the same cage for 10 d according to 1 ∶ 1 for male and female. According to body weight by random number table method, the female rats were divided into control group, low-dose fluoride group, and high-dose fluoride group, 8 rats in each group. They were drunk 0, 100 and 200 mg/L sodium fluoride solution prepared with purified water, respectively, and they all ate standard feed. The female rats were exposed to fluoride from the 0th day of pregnancy to the 3rd week after the offspring rats were born (before weaning). After weaning, 10 female offspring rats were selected from each group and continued to be exposed to fluoride in the same amount and manner until the 12th week after birth. The body weight, body length and hind limb length of the offspring rats were measured every week before weaning and every two weeks after weaning. After 12th week of exposure to fluoride, blood samples were taken from abdominal aortas to detect the levels of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC).Results:At the 2nd week after birth, the body weight [(24.87 ± 3.36) g], body length [(6.37 ± 0.52) cm] and hind limb length [(2.27 ± 0.13) cm] of the offspring rats in high-dose fluoride group were lower than those in control group [(29.23 ± 4.19) g, (6.92 ± 0.47), (2.44 ± 0.16) cm, P < 0.05], but there was no statistically significant difference between low-dose fluoride group and control group and high-dose fluoride group ( P > 0.05). At 3rd to 12th weeks after birth, the body weight, body length and hind limb length of the offspring rats in high-dose fluoride group were lower than those in low-dose fluoride group and control group ( P < 0.05), the low-dose fluoride group were lower than those in control group ( P < 0.05). Serum SOD, GSH-Px and T-AOC levels in control group [(176.51 ± 29.55), (985.23 ± 164.80) U/ml, (0.864 ± 0.167) mmol/L] were higher than those in low-dose fluoride group [(127.98 ± 24.41), (776.53 ± 107.85) U/ml, (0.639 ± 0.110) mmol/L] and high-dose fluoride group [(99.75 ± 14.56), (425.14 ± 78.67) U/ml, (0.441 ± 0.072) mmol/L], the levels of MDA and iNOS [(3.37 ± 0.73) nmol/ml, (189.00 ± 44.67) pg/ml] were lower than those in low-dose fluoride group [(8.22 ± 1.38) nmol/ml, (305.60 ± 73.41) pg/ml] and high-dose fluoride group [(14.81 ± 1.81) nmol/ml, (431.00 ± 91.19) pg/ml], the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05); the levels of serum SOD, GSH-Px and T-AOC in high-dose fluoride group were lower than those in low-dose fluoride group, and the levels of MDA and iNOS were higher than those in low-dose fluoride group ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:Excessive fluoride can increase the serum oxidative stress level of offspring rats, which may affect the growth and development of offspring rats.