@ARTICLE{Ebrahimzadeh Bideskan, author = {Hami, Javad and Ebrahimzadeh Bideskan, Alireza and Dashti, Gholamreza and Rajabzadeh, Aliakbar and }, title = {The Effects of Lead Acetate on Endothelium in Aorta and Left Coronary Artery in Male Rabbits}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, abstract ={Background and Aim: Previous studies have demonstrated that lead exposure has destructive effects on some body systems. Lead, as a heavy metal, may produce variety of toxicity effects on endothelial cells lining luminal surface of the vascular system. Any changes or damages to endothelial cells may lead to cardiovascular diseases especially formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of lead exposure on endothelium in the aorta and left coronary vessels in male rabbits. Materials and Methods: Twenty white male rabbits (weighing 1.8-2 kg, and 4 months old) were obtained and divided randomly into a control group of nine and an experimental group of eleven. Both experimental and control groups were fed with a normal diet. The experimental group was given leaded water (547 ppm) and the control group was given unleaded water for 40 days. After treatment, all the rabbits were sacrificed and their thoracic aorta and left coronary artery were removed and processed according to routine histological methods. Formalin fixed, paraffin embedded and 5μm thickness sections were deparaffinized, rehydrated and stained with heamatoxilin-eosin and were then photographed. Results: The results showed that lead can create pathological changes in endothelium of aorta and left coronary artery including disruption of endothelial cells, blood cells adhesion and aggregation on inner surface of mentioned vessels. Conclusion: According to our findings, lead can cause morphological changes in endothelium. Thus, lead exposure may result in endothelial dysfunction, atherogenesis and cardiovascular pathogenesis. }, URL = {http://imtj.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-792-en.html}, eprint = {http://imtj.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-792-en.pdf}, journal = {Internal Medicine Today}, doi = {}, year = {2010} }