Abstract

The present work was designed to examine the changes in some blood parameters in lactating rats treated with lead acetate (10 mg /kg B.W. orally) and its interaction with vitamin E (600 mg/kg diet) or vitamin C (100 mg/kg B.W. orally) during lactation period (20 days) and their pups. Administration of lead acetate to the female lactating rats caused a significant decrease in packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), red blood cell count (RBC), body weight, mean corpuscular heamoglobin concentration (MCHC) whereas the white blood cells count (WBC), total proteins, the percentage of monocyte and mean corpuscular volume(MCV) significantly increased administration of lead acetate to female lactating rats produced a significant decrease in PCV, Hb, RBC, MCHC, body weight, and the percentage of the neotrophils in their pups. But the WBC count, total proteins, the percentage of lymphocyte, monocyte, MCV a significantly increased in their pups. Treatment dams with vitamin E concomitantly with lead acetate increased the PCV, Hb, MCHC, whereas percentage of monocyte significantly decreased, PCV, Hb, RBC, the percentage of neutrophils a significantly increased, whereas WBC count, the percentage of lymphocyte decreased significantly in their pups of this group of dams. Treatment dams with vitamin C concomitantly with lead acetate significantly increased the PCV, MCV, whereas percentage of monocytes significantly decreased, but Hb, PCV and RBC significantly increased in their pups. It could be concluded that treatment female lactating rats with vitamin E or C concomitantly with lead acetate exert an antioxidant effect on blood constituent in dams and their pups and vitamin E more effective than vitamin C.