Effect of manganese on heat stress protein synthesis of new-born rats

AIM: To study the effect of manganese (Mn) on heat stressprotein 70 (HSP70) synthesis in the brain and liver of new-bom rats whose mother-rats were exposed to Mn.METHODS: 32 female rats were randomly divided into fourgroups. One group was administrated with physiologicalsaline only as control group, the other three groups wereadministrated with 7.5, 15 and 30 mg@ kg-1 manganesechloride (MnCl2) by intraperitioneal injection every two daysfor two weeks. After delivery, the mother-rats receivedMnCl2 unceasingly for a week with the same method. Thenthe contents of Mn、 Zn、 Cu and Fe in the livers of the new-bom rats were determined by atomic absorptionspectroscopy; The level of HSP70 in the brains and thelivers of the new-born rats as detected by Westsrn-dot-blotting, and the SOD activities were measuredsimultaneously.RESULTS: The contents of Mn in the livers of new-bom ratsof the experimental groups(respective 1.38 ± 0.18, 2.73 ±0.65, 3.44 ± 0.89μg @ g-1) were significantly increasedcompared with the control group(0.88 ± 0.18μg@ g-1; p ＜0.01); The contents of Fe in the livers of new-bom rats of 15and 30 mg@ kg-1 experimental groups (426 ± 125,572 ± 175μg@g-1, respectively) were significantly increased comparedwith the control group(286±42μg@g-1; P＜0.05); the levelsof Zn in the livers of the new-bom rats of three experimentalgroups( 254 ± 49, 263 ± 47, 213 ± 28μg@ g-1, respectively)were lower than those of the control group(335 ± 50μg@g-1;respective P＜0.05, P＜0.01); and the levels of Cu showedno significant difference among the four groups (threeexperimental groups: 75 ± 21, 68 ± 241 and 78 ± 18μg@g-1;control group: 83 ± 9μg@ g-1; p ＞ 0.05). There was asignificant increase in the levels of HSP70 in the brains ofnew-bom rats of the 30 mg@kg-1 group (19.5 × 103 ± 1.3 ×103A; control group: 14.3 × 103 ± 1.4 × 103A; P＜ 0.01),andthe levels of HSP70 in the livers of new-bom rats of threeexperinental groups(respective 19.6 × 103 ± 3.9 × 103A, 18.5× 103 ± 3.8 × 103A, 22.4 × 103 ± 1.9 × 103A ) also increasedthan control group(13.3 × 103 ± 1.0 × 103A; P ＜ 0.01), butthe SOD activities showed no significant difference amongbrains of the four groups (experimental groups: 5.04 ± 0.43,4.83±0.48, 4.60±0.84 ku@g-1; control group: 4.91 ± 0.37ku@g-1; P＞ 0.05). The SOD activities in the livers of 15mg@kg-1 group(5.41 ± 0.44 ku@g-1) was lower than the controlgroup(5.95±0.36 ku@g-1; P＜0.05).CONCLUSION: While mother-rats were exposed tomanganese, the metabolisms of Mn、Zn and Fe of new- bornrats in the livers were influenced and were situated in astress status, thus HSP70 syntheses is induced in the brainsand livers of new-bom rats, but the mechanism of this effectin the developmental toxicity of Mn remains to he furtherstudied.