| Summary: | Abstract Background This work was designed to evaluate the potential hazards of sodium fluoride (NaF) and aluminum chloride (AlCl3) given separately or in conjugation throughout the prenatal and up to weaning time or till the postnatal 70th day. The levels of the following parameters were then assessed; vitamin C (ascorbic acid), glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), total protein, albumin, total calcium, ionized calcium, creatinine, urea, uric acid, and bilirubin. In addition, the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were determined. In this study, female pregnant rats were allocated into four groups. The first received the drinking deionized water and served as a normal group, the second was given a daily dose of NaF (0.15 g/L) dissolved in deionized water from day 6 of gestation till the end of the weaning period, and the third was given a daily dose of AlCl3 (500 mg/L) for the same period of time. The fourth group was given drinking water containing combined doses of NaF + AlCl3 for a similar length of time. Each group was further divided into two subgroups; the first continued to be treated with the same pollutants in drinking deionized water at the same dose level until the age of 70 days, whereas the second group was supplied with pure deionized water free from the intoxicating substances for the same period of time. Results The results revealed that either NaF or AlCl3 given separately or in conjunction with each other abated the quenching effects of the antioxidant system and induced oxidative stress and several perturbations in the aforementioned parameters. The metals caused significant increase in the levels of urea, uric acid, creatinine, and activities of ALT and AST activities, whereas the levels of total and ionized calcium in serum and the concentration of vitamin C, GSH, and GSH/GSSG ratio in hepatic tissues were significantly decreased and the levels of MDA were markedly increased in the liver as a response to the studied metals. Conclusion Based on the present results, the exposure to sodium fluoride or aluminum chloride induced profound perturbation in the liver and kidney functions.
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