Neurotoxic effect sodium arsenate on the brain of mice embryo

Early brain damage following a teratogenic dose of arsenic to the dam was studied in mice with the objective of detecting the brain lesion along developmental process. Pregnant albino mice were killed on embryonicday 10, 16 and 19 of gestation after a single 40 mg/kg intraperitonal injection of sodium arsenate on day 6 of pregnancy and embryos were fixed for histological examination with H&E) CRESYL VIOLET and Immunofluorescence staining. The results revealed that arsenic leading to decrease in thickness of brain ventricles, delay in cortical layer differentiation and decrease in formation of Nissle substances and reduced folate carrier (RFC-1) protein. These results suggest that normal development of brainin mice embryos is affected by arsenic and reduction in RFC-1 protein in the brain may be one of the causes of these defects.