An Investigation of the Wild Rat Crown Incisor as an Indicator of Lead (Pb) Exposure Using Inductively Couple Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Laser Ablation ICP-MS

Andrew Kataba, Shouta M. M. Nakayama, Hokuto Nakata, Haruya Toyomaki, Yared B. Yohannes, John Yabe, Kaampwe Muzandu, Golden Zyambo, Ayano Kubota, Takehisa Matsukawa, Kazuhito Yokoyama, Yoshinori Ikenaka and Mayumi Ishizuka
Additional contact information
Andrew Kataba: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Shouta M. M. Nakayama: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Hokuto Nakata: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Haruya Toyomaki: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Yared B. Yohannes: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
John Yabe: School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka 10101, Zambia
Kaampwe Muzandu: School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka 10101, Zambia
Golden Zyambo: School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka 10101, Zambia
Ayano Kubota: Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
Takehisa Matsukawa: Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
Kazuhito Yokoyama: Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
Yoshinori Ikenaka: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Mayumi Ishizuka: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: Lead (Pb) is a metal toxicant of great public health concern. The present study investigated the applicability of the rat incisor in Pb exposure screening. The levels of lead in teeth (Pb-T) in the crown and root of incisors in laboratory Pb-exposed Sprague Dawley rats were quantified using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The crown accumulated much Pb-T than the root of the Sprague Dawley rat incisor. The levels of lead in blood (Pb-B) were positively correlated with the Pb-T in the crown and root incisors of the Sprague Dawley rats. As an application of the Pb-T crown results in experimental rats, we subsequently analyzed the Pb-T in the crown incisors of Pb-exposed wild rats ( Rattus rattus ) sampled from residential sites within varying distances from an abandoned lead–zinc mine. The Pb-T accumulation in the crown of incisors of R. rattus rats decreased with increased distance away from the Pb–Zn mine. Furthermore, the Pb-T was strongly correlated ( r = 0.85) with the Pb levels in the blood. Laser ablation ICP-MS Pb-T mappings revealed a homogenous distribution of Pb in the incisor with an increased intensity of Pb-T localized in the tip of the incisor crown bearing an enamel surface in both Sprague Dawley and R. rattus rats. These findings suggest that Pb-T in the crown incisor may be reflective of the rat’s environmental habitat, thus a possible indicator of Pb exposure.

Keywords: lead; incisor; biomarker; sentinel; wild rodent (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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