Dehydration affects synaptic transmission at flexor muscle in acute lead-treated mice

The effect of 24 hrs. water deprivation on spontaneous and evoked transmitt er release was studied at flexor nerve terminals of control and lead-treate d male C57BL mice. Miniature endplate potentials (MEPPs) and endplate poten tials (EPPs) were recorded intracellularly from urethane-anesthetized (2 mg /g, i.p.) control and lead exposed mice in both hydrated and dehydrated con ditions. Exposure to lead was made by i.p. injection of lead acetate (1.0 m g/kg) dissolved in a 5% glucose solution 24 hrs. prior to the experiment. U nimodal and bimodal MEPP frequencies decreased with dehydration, while smal l mode MEPPs remained unchanged and large mode MEPPs increased in frequency . EPP amplitude and quantal content were unchanged by dehydration. Lead tre atment by itself reduced the frequency of unimodal and bimodal MEPPs but ha d no effect on the amplitude of EPPs or of quantal content. However a combi nation of dehydration and acute lead treatment reduced the frequency of uni modal, bimodal and large mode MEPPs and significantly reduced both EPP ampl itude and quantal content. Dehydration apparently reveals an underlying neu rotoxic action of lead at the neuromuscular junction. This raises a health concern that people subjected to both lead pollution and dehydration are at greater risk to lead poisoning of the neuromuscular junction.