Behavioral and developmental outcomes of prenatal and postnatal vanadium exposure in the rat

The developmental and behavioral outcomes of uninterrupted exposure to vana dium was studied in the rat. Starting 3 days before birth and up to the 100 th day of extrauterine life, rats received as drink either a water solution of vanadyl sulphate (300 mg l(-1) containing 70 mg l(-1) of vanadium eleme nt, which is equal to an ingested dose of about 10 mg kg(-1) per day of van adium element) plus NaCl 5 g l(-1), or a water solution of NaCl 5 g l(-1), or plain water [up to weaning (25th day of extrauterine life) treatment was given to dams and offspring]. At M weaning, survivors were fewer and body weight was found to be significantly lower in the offspring of vanadium plu s NaCl-treated dams than in the offspring of the other two groups. After we aning, growth retardation continued to be significant in both vanadium plus NaCl- and NaCl-treated rats. Such an effect was more pronounced in males t han in females. Locomotor activity-evaluated at 1 month of; age-was not sig nificantly different in the three groups of rats. In the open-field, male ( but not female) vanadium plus NaCl-treated rats had a reduced outer ambulat ion, rearing posture and grooming activity, and an increased defecation, in comparison with the males of the NaCl group, and reduced rearing in compar ison with control males. As concerns ingestive behaviors, the only signific ant datum was an increased water intake in NaCl-treated males. Finally, at the 100th day of life, working memory was significantly impaired in both va nadium plus NaCl- and NaCl-treated rats. (C) 2001 Academic Press.