胚胎期铅暴露对子代大鼠摄食和排便行为的影响及可能机制

目的探讨胚胎期铅暴露对子代大鼠摄食、排便行为的影响及可能机制。方法采用SpragueDawley大鼠孕期自由饮用0.1%(低剂量铅暴露组)和0.2%醋酸铅(高剂量铅暴露组)溶液的方法建立胚胎期铅暴露模型,并设空白对照组。将各组母鼠娩出的雄性仔鼠纳入研究,各组分别取10只仔鼠观察其在摄食、排便、胃排空、小肠推进及胃黏膜病理性炎性反应等方面的变化特点;各组分别取8只仔鼠,应用电镜技术、免疫组化等方法从空肠微绒毛及细胞连接超微结构变化,以及摄食中枢胆囊收缩素-8(CCK-8)、胃动素(MTL)的表达等方面揭示胚胎期铅暴露仔鼠胃肠动力异常的可能机制。结果与对照组比较,高、低剂量铅暴露组仔鼠每日摄食量下降,粪便含水量增加,粪粒质量减少,小肠推进速度增加(P0.05);高剂量铅暴露组仔鼠胃排空能力较对照组下降(P0.05)。与对照组比较,胚胎期铅暴露仔鼠胃黏膜出现明显的病理炎性改变(P0.05);空肠微绒毛减少、长度短缩及上皮间桥粒数目减少、致密斑间隙扩大(P0.05);摄食中枢MTL、CCK-8表达增加(P0.05);上述改变的程度与铅暴露剂量间有剂量-效应关系。结论胃肠结构损害程度,以及CCK和MTL在中枢的表达水平具有铅剂量依赖性,这可能是胚胎期铅暴露仔鼠出现异常的摄食、排便及消化功能改变的重要机制。

Effects of embryonic lead exposure on food intake and bowel movement in offspring rats and possible mechanisms

Objective To study the effects of embryonic lead exposure on food intake and bowel movement in offspring rats and possible mechanisms. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were given 0.1% (low-dose lead exposure group) or 0.2% (high-dose lead exposure group) lead acetate freely during pregnancy to establish an animal model of embryonic lead exposure. A blank control group was also established. The male offspring rats were enrolled in the study, and 10 male offspring rats from each group were selected to observe the changes in food intake, bowel movement, gastric emptying, intestine propulsion, and pathological inflammatory response in the gastric mucosa. Eight offspring rats were selected from each group, and electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry were used to observe the changes in the ultrastructure of jejunal microvilli and cell junction and the expression of cholecystokinin-8 (CCK-8) and motilin (MTL) in the feeding center, in order to reveal the possible mechanisms for abnormal gastrointestinal motility in offspring rats induced by embryonic lead exposure. Results Compared with the control group, the low- and high-dose lead exposure groups had a significant reduction in daily food intake, a significant increase in water content of feces, a significant reduction in fecal pellet weight, and a significant increase in small intestine propulsion (P<0.05). The high-dose lead exposure group had a significant reduction in gastric emptying ability compared with the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the lead exposure groups had significantly greater pathological inflammatory changesin the gastric mucosa (P<0.05), significant reductions in the number and length of the jejunal microvilli and the number of epithelial desmosome junctions (P<0.05), a significant increase in the macula densa gap (P<0.05), and significant increases in the expression of MTL and CCK-8 in the feeding center (P<0.05), in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions The degree of gastrointestinal structural injury and expression levels of MTL and CCK-8 in the feeding center are lead dose-dependent, which may be important mechanisms for changes in food intake, bowel movement, and digestive functions in offspring rats induced by embryonic lead exposure.