Central nervous system cytokine gene expression: modulation by lead.

ABSTRACT: The environmental heavy metal toxicant, lead (Pb) has been shown to be more harmful to the central nervous system (CNS) of children than to adults, given that Pb exposure affects the neural system during development. Because growth factors and cytokines play very important roles in development of the CNS, we have examined the impact of Pb exposure on the expression of cytokines during CNS development. Cytokine expression was studied in post-natal-day 21 (pnd21) mice by microarray, real-time RT-PCR, Luminex, and ELISA methodologies. BALB/c mouse pups were exposed to Pb through the dam's drinking water (0.1 mM Pb acetate), from gestation-day 8 (gd8) to pnd21. Two cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), displayed significantly changed transcript levels in t

SUBMITTER: Kasten-Jolly J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3635043 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature