the effect of lead acetate on the nitric oxide system in the rat hippocampal cells: an in-vitro study

the mechanism by which lead may cause a perturbotion in the nevous system is through the nitric oxide synthase. in this study the effect of lead acetate on the hippocampal constitutive nitric oxide production was studied. the variation in the nitric oxide production may contribute to physiological lead neurotoxicity in vivo. different concentrations of lead acetate (10-9 to 10-6 m), wre added to cultures of hippocampal pyramidal cell obtained from one-day newborn rats. sodium acetate was used as control. in this range of stuy viability of cells did not alter when it was compared to control (p<0.05). in another part of study, cells were obtained from one day dams whose mothers were chronically intoxicated by lead acetate. the resuts showed that neither direct exposure of normal cells mor cells obtained from latter group could show andy increase in the amount of nitric oxide. administration of lead to the cells 10 minute before measurement showed same results.these results showed that how concentration of lead acetate can not induce nitric oxide production in the pyramidal cells