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Amount of lead burden in a tissue reflects poisoning of lead in that tissue, so is the removal of lead directly connected to curement of lead poisoning. The purpose of present study was to investigate the relative effects of penicillamine and thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide (TTFD) or thiamine propyl disulfide (TPD) in the removal of lead from rat brain tissue treated with excessive lead. Wistar rat pups of both sexes were used in this experiment. Within 1 day of parturition, experimental mothers nursing their pups as well as rat pups were given drinking water containing 0.2% lead acetate, TTFD 20mg/1.2 L (2 mg/kg/day), TPD 20 mg/1.2 L (2mg/kg/day), penicillamine 40 mg/1.2 L (40 mg/kg/day), 0.2% lead acetate+TTFD 20mg/1.2 L (2 mg/kg/day), 0.2% lead acetate+ TPD 20 mg/1.2 L (2 mg/kg/day) or 0.2% lead acetate+ penicillamine 40 mg/1.2 L (40 mg/kg/day) ad libitum, throughout the entire period of experiment. Rat pups in the control group received normal tap water. The animals were sacrificed by decapitation on the day when they become 2 or 8 weeks of age. Brains were dissected into five regions: telencephalon, diencephalon, midbrain, pons/medulla and cerebellum. The dissected brain tissues were lyophillized and then solubilized by acid mixture (nitric acid + sulfuric acid). Lead levels in the solubilized brain tissues were measured by the inductively coupled plasma. In lead-exposed rats, lead levels were significantly higher than those of control group in all brain legions, lead levels in brain regions of TTFD or TPD group were generally lower than those of control group. The simultaneous administration of lead with TTFD or TPD to animals caused significant decrement of lead from all brain regions. In the elimination of lead from brain regions, effectiveness of TTFD or TPD was equivalant to penicillamine.
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