Find in Library

Introduction: Damage to the kidneys is one of the primary toxic actions of the metals and nephrotoxicityby heavy metals has been the focus of much research. Lead is a heavy metal widely distributed in theenvironment. Its toxicity is a matter of concern as very low levels in the environment are found to effectunder-nourished population. Entering the body through multiple routes it gets distributed in almost everyorgan including kidneys altering its structure and functions. Objective: Heavy metals such as Lead are known to interact with the essential trace elements at the levelof absorption and also during metabolism. The present study was designed to observe morphological changesin renal tissue with special reference to Proximal tubules following concomitant administration of essentialmicronutrient zinc with lead. Design: Experimental study. Materials & Methods: 45 young adult albino rats selected for the study were distributed into 3 main groupsof 15 rats each. Group A served as control, Group B rats received Inj . Lead acetate 8 mg/kg intraperitoneallydaily and Group C in addition to lead received Inj . Zinc chloride 0.21 mg/kg intraperitoneally daily. Eachgroup was further subdivided into three sub-groups according to the period of treatment given i.e. 2,4 & 6weeks, at the end of which animals were sacrificed. The kidneys after processing and staining (PASHaematoxylin)were subj ected to detailed morphological examination o f proximal tubules. Results: The morphologic study in lead treated subgroups revealed changes indicating progressive distortionof renal cortical tissue with increasing time periods so that at six weeks a number of necrotic tubules withpyknotic nuclei were seen. Histological picture was close to that of Control and showed minimum distortionin rats co treated with zinc. Conclusion: Based on the study, it can be stated that lead induced nephrotoxicity particularly damages thestructure of proximal tubules and the damage is more pronounced with increasing time period. Concomitanttreatment with essential m icronutrient zinc reduces or delays the toxic effects o f lead.