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Biomedical subjects

L W Reiter

Publications and source records attributed to L W Reiter.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Prenatal or postnatal exposure to bis(tri-n-butyltin)oxide in the rat: postnatal evaluation of teratology and behavior.

The results of a series of screening tests to determine the potential teratogenicity and neurotoxicity of developmental exposure to TBTO in rats are presented in this paper. For prenatal exposure, pregnant Long Evans rats were intubated with 0-16 mg/kg/day bis(tri-n-butyltin)oxide TBTO from Days 6 to 20 of gestation (GD 6-20). For postnatal exposure, rat pups were intubated with 0-60 mg/kg TBTO on Postnatal Day 5 (PND 5). Following prenatal exposure, dams were allowed to litter and pups were evaluated using a postnatal teratology screen. Postnatal evaluation for both exposures included motor activity (PND 13-64), the acoustic startle response (PND 22-78), growth, and brain weight. The maximally tolerated dose (MTD) in pregnant rats was 5 mg/kg/day, which is one-third the MTD in nonpregnant rats. There were decreased numbers of live births, and decreased growth and viability at dosages greater than or equal to 10 mg/kg/day. Cleft palate was found in 3% of the 12 mg/kg/day group. There was mortality following postnatal exposure to 60 mg/kg and all prenatal dosages greater than or equal to 10 mg/kg/day. Preweaning body weight was significantly decreased for all postnatal dosages, and all prenatal dosages greater than 2.5 mg/kg/day. Body weight reductions persisted to the postweaning period only in the high dose groups (10 mg/kg/day and 60 mg/kg). Behavioral evaluation demonstrated transient alterations in motor activity development (prenatal exposure only) and the acoustic startle response (postnatal exposure only). Persistent behavioral effects were observed only at dosages that produced overt maternal toxicity and/or postnatal mortality. The demonstration of the teratogenic and neurotoxic potential of TBTO in rats is confounded by associated maternal toxicity and/or pup mortality.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced

Serotonergic modulation of the acoustic startle response in rats during preweaning development.

The involvement of serotonin (5-HT) in modulating the acoustic startle response (ASR) is well established in adult rats, but 5-HT involvement during the preweaning period, when 5-HT neurons undergo extensive development, has not previously been described. Three 5-HT receptor subtypes are reported to modulate the ASR in adult rats: 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptor agonists facilitate the ASR, whereas 5-HT1B agonists decrease the response. In the present study, the effects of 5-HT agonists and generalized 5-HT depletion on the ASR were studied in preweanling animals, using independent groups of Long-Evans rats tested on postnatal day (PND) 13, 17 and 21. 8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8OHDPAT, 62-1000 micrograms/kg), a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyl tryptamine (MeODMT, 2-4 mg/kg), a nonselective 5-HT agonist, had no effect on PND 13 and then increased the ASR on PND 17 and 21. The 5-HT2 receptor antagonists cyproheptadine (5 mg/kg) and ketanserin (5 mg/kg) blocked the effect of MeODMT at both ages, providing some evidence that MeODMT increased the ASR through 5-HT2 receptors. 1-(m-Chlorophenyl) piperazine (mCPP, 1-5 mg/kg), a 5-HT1B agonist, had no effect on ASR amplitude on PND 13 or 17 and then produced a dose-related decrease in the response on PND 21. Generalized depletion of 5-HT by 80-90% in whole-brain and spinal cord, using p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA, 300 mg/kg 24 hr prior to testing), did not alter ASR amplitude at any age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin

Alkyltin inhibition of ATPase activities in tissue homogenates and subcellular fractions from adult and neonatal rats.

Inhibition of ATPase activities by triethyltin (TET), diethyltin (DET), monoethyltin (MET), and trimethyltin (TMT) was studied in homogenates of brain and liver from adult and neonatal rats. In the adult, sensitivities were as follows: mitochondrial ATPase of liver much greater than Na+, K+-ATPase of brain approximately equal to mitochondrial ATPase of brain greater than nonspecific ATPase of brain and liver. MET did not produce significant inhibition. ATPase activities in brain and liver homogenates from TET-treated adult rats did not differ from controls. Mitochondrial ATPase in brain homogenates from 5-day-old rats was two orders of magnitude more sensitive to TET than brain homogenates from adult rats (IC50 of 2.5 microM in the 5-day-old neonate vs 260 microM in the adult). By contrast, isolated mitochondria and synaptosomal fractions from adult and neonatal brains were equally sensitive to TET (IC50 = 1-3 microM). At 10 days of age, following the onset of myelination, the IC50 for TET inhibition of brain mitochondrial ATPase increased to 71 microM. Myelin added directly to isolated mitochondria also reduced TET-induced inhibition. It is concluded that in vivo brain tin concentrations in 5-day-old rats following a neurotoxic dose of TET are sufficient to inhibit brain mitochondrial ATPase, whereas in adults, tin concentrations are insufficient for inhibition. In the adult rat, TET binding to myelin appears to prevent inhibition of brain mitochondrial ATPase, and the target of toxic action may be myelin. In the neonateal rat, TET may inhibit oxidative phosphorylation in unmyelinated brain tissue, leading to neuronal cell death.

Adenosine Triphosphatases

The effects of type I and II pyrethroids on motor activity and the acoustic startle response in the rat.

Recent data have demonstrated that the in vivo effects of low dosages of two pyrethroids, cismethrin and deltamethrin, can be differentiated. Two behavioral tests, locomotor activity and the acoustic startle response (ASR), were utilized to separate the behavioral actions of Type I and II pyrethroids using permethrin, RU11679, cypermethrin, RU26607, fenvalerate, cyfluthrin, flucythrinate, fluvalinate and p,p'-DDT. Dosage-effect functions for all compounds were determined for both figure-eight-maze activity and the ASR in the rat. All compounds were administered po in 1 ml/kg corn oil 1.5-3 hr prior to testing. All compounds produced dosage-dependent decreases in locomotor activity. The Type I compounds, permethrin and RU11679, along with p,p'-DDT, increased amplitude and had no effect on latency to onset of the ASR. In contrast, the Type II pyrethroids, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, and flucythrinate, decreased amplitude and increased the latency to onset of the ASR. Fenvalerate increased the amplitude, had no effect on latency, but unlike the other compounds tested, increased ASR sensitization. Fluvalinate had no effect on any measure of the ASR. These data provide further evidence of the differences between the in vivo effects of low dosages of Type I and II pyrethroids, and extend the findings of our previous work to other representatives of the two classes of pyrethroids.

Acoustic Stimulation

Hyperactivity induced by triadimefon, a triazole fungicide.

Triadimefon is an agriculturally important triazole fungicide. The present experiments were conducted to characterize the effects of triadimefon on a measure of motor activity. Dosage-effect, time-effect, and the effect of repeated dosing (7 days) were determined following triadimefon exposure. Male Long Evans hooded rats, approximately 70 days old, received triadimefon po in 2.0 ml/kg corn oil. Motor activity testing was conducted for 1 hr in figure-eight mazes. For the dosage-effect determination, triadimefon (50-400 mg/kg) was administered 1 hr prior to testing. In the time-course study, triadimefon (200 mg/kg) was administered either 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 24 hr prior to testing. In the repeated dosing experiment animals received triadimefon (100 mg/kg) daily for 7 days and were tested 24 hr after the last exposure. Triadimefon produced significant hyperactivity following dosages of 100 and 200 mg/kg. This hyperactivity was rapid in both onset (0.5 hr) and recovery (8.0 hr). Repeated dosing with 100 mg/kg/day revealed no cumulative effects nor tolerance. These results indicate that triadimefon produces a transient hyperactivity at dosages 17 to 33% of the reported LD50.

Animals

Ontogeny of the acoustic startle response and sensitization to background noise in the rat.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the ontogeny of the acoustic startle response (ASR) and response sensitization to background noise in preweanling rats. Animals were tested daily from 11 to 21 days of age using one of four sets of background white noise levels [45-80 dB(A)]. With constant low-level (45 dB, SPL) background noise, response latency decreased steadily with age, whereas both response incidence and amplitude increased nonmonotonically with age. Two approaches were used to examine the ontogeny of sensitization to background noise: The first compared the ASR of animals tested at 75 dB background noise with ones tested at 45 dB; the second compared the ASR of animals tested at three background levels (30 dB range) within the test session. Sensitization was not evident before 15-16 days of age. By comparing these results with the results from naive animals, it was found that daily test experience does not alter ASR amplitude, latency, incidence, or the development of sensitization.

Acoustic Stimulation

Pyrethroid insecticides and radioligand displacement from the GABA receptor chloride ionophore complex.

Radioligand binding displacement studies were conducted to determine the effects of Type I and II pyrethroids on [3H]flunitrazepam (FLU), [3H]muscimol (MUS), and [35S]t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS) binding. Competition experiments with [3H]FLU and [3H]MUS indicate a lack of competition for binding by the pyrethroids. Type I pyrethroids failed to compete for the binding of [35S]TBPS at concentrations as high as 50 microM. Type II pyrethroids inhibited [35S]TBPS binding to rat brain synaptosomes with Ki values ranging from 5-10 microM. The data presented here suggest that the interaction of Type II pyrethroids with the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor-ionophore complex is restricted to a site near the TBPS/picrotoxinin binding site.

Animals

Neurotoxicology in regulation and risk assessment.

It is well recognized that a wide variety of chemicals exert toxic effects on the structure and function of the nervous system. Regulatory agencies, charged with the protection of human health from toxicant exposures, should therefore consider neurotoxicological evaluations in the risk assessment process. Over the last decade, several expert panels have recommended testing schemes for evaluating neurobehavioral toxicity. In general, these panels have recommended behavioral measures performed in tandem with neuropathological evaluations. In keeping with these recommendations, the Environmental Protection Agency has developed seven neurotoxicity test guidelines for use in evaluating new and existing chemicals. Further refinement and extension of these test guidelines will flow from a better understanding of the cellular/molecular events which underly neurotoxicant-induced functional alterations.

Animals

Pyrethroid insecticides and the gamma-aminobutyric acidA receptor complex: motor activity and the acoustic startle response in the rat.

Two behavioral tests, motor activity and the acoustic startle response (ASR), were used to test for dose-addition of cismethrin, a Type I, or deltamethrin, a Type II pyrethroid, with compounds active at the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor complex (picrotoxin, muscimol and chlordiazepoxide). Additivity was assessed using a simplified version of isobolographic analysis using chlorpromazine and haloperidol as positive controls for dose-additivity. Dosage-effect functions for all compounds were determined for both motor activity and the ASR. The effects of various combinations of chlorpromazine (0.5-4.0 mg/kg) and haloperidol (0.05-0.2 mg/kg) on motor activity indicate dose-addition. To test for dose-addition of pyrethroids and GABAergic compounds, cismethrin (3-18 mg/kg) or deltamethrin (2-6 mg/kg) were administered 90 min before testing, either alone, or before treatment with picrotoxin (0.25-2.0 mg/kg), muscimol (0.6-2.5 mg/kg) or chlordiazepoxide (2.5-10 mg/kg) administered 20 to 30 min before testing. All compounds produced dosage-dependent decreases in motor activity. Muscimol and picrotoxin decreased ASR amplitude, increased ASR latency and reduced ASR sensitization to increasing background noise levels. Chlordiazepoxide had no effect on any measure of the ASR. Results from the interaction studies indicate dose-addition of the effects of picrotoxin and deltamethrin on motor activity and the ASR. Additivity of dose was not seen with any other combination. These data suggest that the in vivo effects of the Type II pyrethroid deltamethrin may be due in part to interaction with the picrotoxinin binding site of the GABAA receptor-ionophore complex. In addition, these results are consistent with reported differential effects of the two classes of pyrethroids on the GABAA receptor complex.

Animals

Development of locomotor activity of rat pups exposed to heavy metals.

Cadmium (Cd), triethyltin (TET), and trimethyltin (TMT) are heavy metals which are neurotoxic to developing animals. In the present experiment, preweaning assessment of locomotor activity was used to detect and differentiate between the developmental toxicity of these metals. On postnatal day (PND) 5, rat pups received a single injection of either Cd, TET, or TMT. A within-litter design was used for dosing; 1 male and 1 female pup from each litter (N = 10 litters/compound) received either the vehicle, low, medium, or high dosage of the compound. Preweaning motor activity was assessed in 30-min sessions in figure-eight mazes from PND 13 to 21. Motor activity of control animals progressively increased in the initial days of testing, and then both within-session and between-session habituation developed. A single exposure to Cd, TET, and TMT produced hyperactivity by the end of the preweaning period but these metals differed in the day of peak activity, the onset of hyperactivity, and the development of habituation.

Animals

Development of locomotor activity of rat pups in figure-eight mazes.

In a series of four experiments, social and experiential factors that influence the development of motor activity in rat pups were examined. Motor activity was monitored from postnatal Days 13 to 21 as photocell interruptions in figure-eight mazes and comparisons were made between pups maintained in a nest box containing a dam and siblings and allowed access to the maze for 23 hr/day, pups tested daily for 1 hr/day vs pups tested only on postnatal Days 15, 18, or 21, pups tested daily for either 5 min, 30 min, or 1 hr/day, and pups tested daily for 30 min/day either singly in a maze, paired with a littermate, or paired with an anesthetized pup of the same age. A monotonic increase in activity was seen for nest-box testing, minimal developmental change was seen for pups tested on only a single day or for pups tested with an anesthetized pup, whereas all other groups showed an inverted U-shaped profile of activity which was influenced by the duration of testing and/or the presence of a littermate. These data emphasize the relevance of environmental factors as determinants of preweaning behavior.

Age Factors

Effects of noinionizing radiation on the central nervous system, behavior, and blood: a progress report.

This paper presents a progress report on the U. S. research which has been designated as collaborative research with the Soviet Union to study the biological effects of nonionizing radiation on the central nervous system, behavior, and blood. Results of investigations to study the effects of microwaves on isolated nerves, synaptic function, transmission of neural impulses, electroencephalographic recordings, behavior, and on chemical, cytochemical and immunological properties of the blood are presented. Specifically, the effects of microwave exposure on chick brain and cat spinal cords, on EEG patterns of rats, on behavioral of neonatal rats exposed during development, on behavior of adult rats, on behavior of rhesus monkeys and on the pathology, hematology, and immunology of rabbits will be reported in a summary format. Much of the information is new and has not been published previously.

Action Potentials

Motor activity: a survey of methods with potential use in toxicity testing.

Activity measurements are expected to have widespread use in toxicity testing. The multifaceted nature of motor activity will directly influence the selection of a measurement technique since the relative contribution of various motor acts to any particular measurement will depend upon the detection method. Because of the apparatus-dependent nature of motor activity measurements, it is recommended that consideration be given to how accurately the various devices measure locomotor activity. In the present paper, two types of body movement will be considered as locomotor activity: ambulation (horizontally directed movement) and rearing (vertically directed movement). Discussion focuses on the various methods currently used to record motor activity, the various components of motor activity which are likely to be recorded, and the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques for the measurement of locomotor activity. Finally, consideration is given to studies which have compared treatment effects on motor activity derived from two or more measurement techniques.

Animals

Developmental and behavioral changes in the rat during chronic exposure to lead.

Young male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given drinking water containing 5 or 50 ppm Pb for 40 days prior to mating. Pregnant females were continued on these regimens throughout gestation and lactation. After weaning the offspring were similarly exposed through adulthood. Reflex development, body weights, and locomotor activity were measured in the offspring. Significant delays were noted in the development of the righting reflex at 5 and 50 ppm and in eye opening at 50 ppm. No difference was observed in development of the startle reflex at either dose. Mean body weights of treatment groups during this developmental period were not significantly different from controls. Locomotor activity was measured in adult males utilizing a residential maze. Both levels of lead produced a significant reduction in locomotor activity. When groups were treated with d-amphetamine (4.0 mg/kg subcutaneous), lead treatment caused a dose-related diminution in the amphetamine-induced hyperactivity. These results indicate that rats exposed to low levels of lead from conception until adulthood show a delay in nervous system development. As adults, these animals exhibit hypoactivity and decreased responsiveness to amphetamine.

Aging

Interlaboratory comparison of motor activity experiments: implications for neurotoxicological assessments.

Motor activity is an important functional measure used in neurotoxicology. The effects of chemicals on motor activity, however, may depend on variables such as type of measurement apparatus, physical and environmental testing conditions, and many other experimental protocol and organismic variables. Due to the increasing use of motor activity in neurotoxicology, a major question concerns the potential for differences in experimental findings due to variations in sensitivity and reliability between different laboratories and devices used to measure motor activity. This study examined historical data from a number of laboratories that employed different devices and experimental protocols to measure motor activity. Four aspects of the motor activity data were compared: 1) within-laboratory control variability across time; 2) within-laboratory replicability of control data; 3) between-laboratory variability in the effects of chemicals; and 4) between-laboratory comparison of the control rates of habituation. The analyses indicated that there was a relatively restricted range of within-laboratory variability and reliability in control values, and that these ranges were comparable across laboratories. Similar profiles of habituation were also seen across the different laboratories. Moreover, in virtually every case, all laboratories were capable of detecting qualitatively similar changes in motor activity following acute exposure to a variety of chemicals. These data indicate a high degree of comparability in the data generated by the different devices and experimental protocols.

Animals

Collaborative Behavioral Teratology Study: protocol design and testing procedures.

This paper presents background information on the methods used in the Collaborative Behavioral Teratology Study (CBTS), the rationale behind the experimental design, and the design and specific procedures used in the CBTS. Each of the following methods is discussed: negative geotaxis, olfactory discrimination, auditory startle habituation, one-hour activity in the figure-8 maze, visual discrimination learning, 23-hour activity in the figure-8 maze, and amphetamine-stimulated activity. The CBTS was designed to determine the intra- and interlaboratory reliability of these test methods and the detection sensitivity of each method, as well as to determine the importance of several major variables (early test experience, gender, litter). The important design features which permitted these evaluations are discussed. Each laboratory conducted two independent experiments: one using d-amphetamine sulfate as the test agent and one using methylmercuric chloride. Other than the use of different agents and dosing regimens in the two studies, all other characteristics of experimental design were identical. Each study was conducted in four replicates with 4 litters/each of 4 treatment groups/replicate. The replicate design was an important feature which permitted reliability of the tests to be addressed under conditions in which several other sources of variation in responding could be identified and accounted for in the model. Other methods by which optimal testing conditions were implemented in the participating laboratories included the "blind" testing of all subjects in specific orders which were counterbalanced for treatment group, time of day, and the apparatus in which the animals were placed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amphetamine