Effect of the Sublethal Dose of Lead Acetate on Malondialdehyde, Dopamine, and Neuroglobin Concentrations in Rats

Lead can have detrimental behavioral, biochemical, and physiological effects on the body. The current experiment was designed to estimate the sublethal dose of lead acetate that induce oxidative stress on the central nervous system (CNS) in adult using the probit analysis. Moreover, the current study examined the dose-response curve by successive doses of lead acetate on some parameters related to oxidative stress for 28 days. A total of 36 adult male rats were randomly selected and divided equally into six experimental groups and treated for 28 days. Rats in the control group received distilled sterile water, and those in G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5 were gavaged with 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 mg/kg of lead acetate, respectively. The result indicated a positive correlation between the successive doses of lead acetate. Malondialdehyde concentration decreased dopamine and neuroglobin by increasing the dose of lead acetate in experimental groups (G3, G4, and G5), compared to the control group. In conclusion, exposure to the sublethal dose of 16 mg/kg of lead acetate significantly alters the levels of the neurotransmitters and increases the production of oxidative stress in the CNS tissue.