Effect of metallothionein on lead excretion of lead exposed mice

Objective To observe the effect of metallothionein(MT)on lead excretion of lead exposed mice.Methods 40male Kunming mice were randomly divided into 5groups with 8mice in each group,i.e.normal control group,lead acetate model group,low dose MT group,high dose MT group and EDTACaNa2group.With exception of the normal control,all mice of other four groups freely drank 0.55g/L lead acetate solution for 30days to establish lead poisoning model.Mice of both the low and high dosages MT groups were simultaneously instilled with MT when they were exposed to lead.A positive drug control group was setup by simultaneous CaNa2-EDTA injection.Results Lead levels in mice blood and femur of MT groups were much lower than those of the lead poisoning model group(P0.05).The MDA contents in mice blood of MT groups were lower than those of lead poisoning model group(P0.05).The contents of TAOC in mice blood of MT groups were higher than those of lead poisoning model group(P0.05).Conclusions MT is effective in the process of lead excretion and shows a certain extent of anti-oxidative capability.