Lead in breastmilk reduced vitamin D levels in blood by a third (in rats)

Lead Affects Vitamin D Metabolism in Rats

Nutrients 2018, 10(3), 264; doi:10.3390/nu10030264 (registering DOI)

Abdur Rahman 1, Ameena A. Al-Awadi 1OrcID and Khalid M. Khan 2

Dept of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Life Sciences, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060, Kuwait

Dept of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, Safat 13110, Kuwait

Small amount of lead in water drunk by mother rats Vitamin D levels in blood substantially decreased in the breastfeeding infants However, the effect was somewhat neutralized by increase in Vitamin D receptor activation This study does not seem to indicate the VDR activation change Thus the reader is not informed as to the change of Vitamin D getting to the cells due to Lead The PDF includes many microphotographs of brain, etc. with/without lead --- 1. See also web

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Vitamin D in blood reduced due to Lead in breastmilk

A negative association between blood lead and vitamin D concentrations has been reported, however, experimental data on the effect of lead (Pb) on vitamin D metabolism is scarce. We investigated the effects of Pb on serum vitamin D metabolites, vitamin D activating enzymes and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in rats. Newborn Wistar rat pups were exposed to 0.2% Pb-acetate via their dams’ drinking water from post-natal day (PND) 1 to 21 and directly in drinking water until PND30. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was analyzed with LC-MS/MS and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D with an immunoassay. Tissue expression of vitamin D activating enzymes and VDR were measured by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was significantly decreased at both PND21 and PND30, whereas 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D was decreased (p < 0.05) only at PND21 in the Pb-exposed rats. Expression of renal 1-α-hydroxylase was decreased by Pb only at PND21 (p < 0.05) but the brain 1-α-hydroxylase was not affected. Hepatic 25-hydroxylase expression was significantly decreased at PND21 but significantly increased at PND30 by Pb exposure. VDR expression in the brain was increased at both PND21 and PND30 (p < 0.05). These results suggest that Pb interferes with vitamin D metabolism by affecting the expression of its metabolizing enzymes. View Full-Text