Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Corbella

Publications and source records attributed to J Corbella.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Variability of blood lead levels in an urban population in relation to drinking and smoking habits.

The influence of drinking and smoking habits on blood lead levels of an urban population was assessed in this study. Lead concentrations were determined in 287 blood samples collected from non-occupationally lead exposed men living in Barcelona, Spain. Blood lead levels significantly increased with the consumption of wine. Although not statistically significant, a similar tendency was also observed for beer drinkers, but not for the consumers of spirits. Slight increases in the blood lead concentrations of smokers were also found. However, because of the significant correlation between heavy smoking and drinking observed in this study, alcohol consumption would probably be responsible for these increases. Wine consumption was the most influential variable (7.72%, P < 0.001) on the blood lead levels of the population examined.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Reproductive toxicity evaluation of vanadium in male mice.

The reproductive toxicity of vanadium was studied in mice. Male Swiss mice were exposed to sodium metavanadate at doses of 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mg/kg per day given in the drinking water for 64 days. To evaluate the fertility of the vanadium-treated animals, males were mated with untreated females for 4 days. A significant decrease in the pregnancy rate was observed at 60 and 80 mg/kg per day of sodium. metavanadate. However, metavanadate did not reduce fertility in male mice at 20 and 40 mg/kg per day. Reproductive toxicity was measured by sperm count, sperm motility, organ weights, and histologic evaluation of the testes. Decreased body and epididymis weight was only observed in the 80 mg/kg per day group, while testicular weights were not altered by the treatment with all doses used. Sperm count was significantly decreased at 40, 60, and 80 mg/kg per day, but the sperm motility was unaffected. Histopathological examination revealed that the testes were normal and that the epididymis of treated male mice contained normal appearing sperm. The no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) was 40 mg/kg per day. Consequently, vanadium would not cause any adverse effect on fertility or testicular function in male mice at the concentrations usually ingested by humans through the diet and drinking water.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effectiveness of sodium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate (Tiron) in protecting against uranium-induced developmental toxicity in mice.

The effect of Tiron (sodium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate), a chelating agent used in the treatment of experimental poisoning by a number of heavy metals, on uranium-induced developmental toxicity was evaluated in Swiss mice. A series of four Tiron injections was administered intraperitoneally to pregnant mice immediately after a single subcutaneous injection of 4 mg/kg of uranyl acetate dihydrate given on day 10 of gestation and at 24, 48, and 72 h thereafter. Controls received 0.9% saline with or without uranyl acetate. Tiron effectiveness was assessed at 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg per day. Amelioration by Tiron of uranium-induced embryolethality was not noted at the two lower doses. The percentage of dead and resorbed fetuses in the Tiron-treated groups was not statistically different from that in the positive control group. However, treatment at 1500 mg/kg per day showed isolated protective effects against uranium fetotoxicity, such as that evidenced by the lack of differences in fetal body weight between this group and the uranium-untreated group, as well as by a decrease in the number of skeletal defects. According to these results, the ability of Tiron to protect the developing mouse fetus against uranium-induced developmental toxicity offers only modest encouragement with regard to its possible therapeutic potential for pregnant women exposed to this metal.

1,2-Dihydroxybenzene-3,5-Disulfonic Acid Disodium ↗
PubMed1993

Dietary intake of copper, chromium and zinc in Tarragona Province, Spain.

The dietary intake of copper, chromium, and zinc from foods in Tarragona Province (NE Spain) was determined by means of two different methods: the total diet study and the duplicate diet study. In the total diet study, a total of 375 food samples were analyzed, whereas duplicates of food consumed weekly by 20 families were analyzed for copper, chromium and zinc concentrations. Pulses were the group with the highest levels of the three elements; vegetables and fruits which are basic items in the 'Mediterranean diet', contained low concentrations of these metals. Total intakes of copper, chromium and zinc were 1156.3, 124.6 and 7522.9 micrograms day-1, respectively. On the other hand, the total intake of the elements obtained through the duplicate diet study was 1119.8 micrograms day-1 for copper, 129.0 micrograms day-1 for chromium, and 6800.1 micrograms day-1 for zinc. The daily intake of copper and zinc by the population of Tarragona Province is lower than the usually recommended values, while the intake of chromium is closer to those values.

Chromium↗
PubMed1993

Prevention by Tiron (sodium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate) of vanadate-induced developmental toxicity in mice.

Vanadate is embryotoxic and fetotoxic in golden hamsters, mice and rats. Tiron (sodium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate), a chelating agent widely used in analytical chemistry, is an effective antidote in the treatment of oral or parenteral vanadate poisoning. The present study evaluated the effect of administration of Tiron on sodium metavanadate (NaVO3)-induced developmental toxicity in mice. NaVO3 (25 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected on day 12 of gestation, whereas Tiron was injected subcutaneously at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hr after NaVO3 administration. Tiron effectiveness was assessed at dosage levels of 0, 250, 500, and 1,000 mg/kg. Cesarean sections were performed on gestation day 18. All live fetuses were examined for external, internal, and skeletal malformations and variations. Amelioration by Tiron of NaVO3 developmental toxicity was evidenced by a significant decrease in the number of resorbed fetuses, an increase in the mean fetal weight, and a reduction in the incidence of the skeletal variations caused by NaVO3. According to these results, Tiron offers encouragement with regard to its therapeutic potential for pregnant women exposed to vanadate. However, further investigations, including the effect of increasing the time interval between acute vanadate exposure and initiation of Tiron therapy, are required.

1,2-Dihydroxybenzene-3,5-Disulfonic Acid Disodium ↗
PubMed1993

Embryotoxicity and teratogenicity of uranium in mice following subcutaneous administration of uranyl acetate.

The effects of multiple maternal subcutaneous injections of uranyl acetate dihydrate (0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg/d) from d 6 to d 15 of gestation were evaluated in Swiss mice. External, internal soft-tissue and skeletal examinations of fetuses were performed on gestation d 18. Maternal toxicity occurred in all uranium-treated groups as evidenced primarily by deaths as well as significant decreases in weight gain and in body weight at termination. Although it was not dose-related, embryotoxicity also occurred in all uranium-treated groups (significant increases in the number of nonviable implantations and in the percentage of postimplantation loss). Fetal body weight was significantly decreased at 1 and 2 mg/kg/d, whereas the number of total internal and total skeletal defects showed dose-dependent increases at 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg/d. Most morphological defects were developmental variations, whereas malformations were only detected at 1 and 2 mg/kg/d. On the basis of these data, both the maternal no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) and the NOAEL for embryotoxicity of uranyl acetate dihydrate were below 0.5 mg/kg/d, whereas the NOAEL for teratogenicity was 0.5 mg/kg/d.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Evaluation of the reproductive toxicity of gallium nitrate in mice.

Reproduction studies were performed with gallium nitrate, an antihypercalcaemic drug that is also used as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of certain malignancies. Male mice were injected subcutaneously with gallium nitrate at doses of 0 (controls), 24, 48 and 96 mg/kg/day every other day for 14 days before mating with untreated females. Fertility and reproductive performance in the gallium nitrate-treated groups did not differ significantly from controls. No significant changes were observed in the relative testes and epididymis weights. Sperm counts in the gallium nitrate-dosed groups were comparable with those in the control group, whereas the percentage of motile cells was similar between treated and untreated animals. Histopathological examination of the testes and epididymis did not reveal any changes at any dose of gallium nitrate. The no-observed-adverse effect level was 96 mg/kg body weight. This dose is about 30 times higher than the current doses of gallium nitrate administered to humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Evaluation of the effect of temperature, pH, and bioproduction on Hg concentration in sediments, water, molluscs and algae of the delta of the Ebro river.

The effects of temperature, pH, and bioproduction on mercury levels in sediments, water, molluscs and algae from the delta of the Ebro river (NE Spain) were determined in this study. Mercury concentrations were measured in a cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The ranges of mercury concentrations were the following: sediments, 0.014-0.185 microgram g-1; water, 0.001-0.018 microgram g-1; molluscs, 0.118-0.861 microgram g-1; and algae 0.008-0.026 microgram g-1. Although not statistically significant, a decrease in the pH of the water corresponded with a diminution in the content of mercury in sediments and molluscs, while the mercury levels in water and algae were lower in the areas with high levels of bioproduction. The concentrations of mercury in water significantly decreased with temperature. However, the differences with temperature of the mercury concentrations in sediments did not reach the level of significance. Consequently, water would not be an adequate indicator to determine the levels of mercury contamination, although both sediments and molluscs can be used for this purpose.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Evaluation of potential strontium chelators in an octanol-water system.

90Sr has a physical half-life of sufficient duration to make it a potentially dangerous contaminant from nuclear accidents and radioactive wastes. In the present study, the efficacy of 16 compounds as potential chelators of strontium was tested in vitro. Strontium solubilization from strontium carbonate and its distribution in an octanol-water system (Do/w) was determined in the absence and presence of alpha-ketoglutaric acid, Kryptofix 222, ethylenglycol-bis-(beta-amino-ethylether)-N,N-tetraacetic acid, diethylentriamine pentaacetic acid, Kryptofix 5, disodium chlodronate, disodium ethidronate, oxaloacetic acid, fumaric acid, D-gluconic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, D,L-2,3-diaminopropionic acid, 1,1-cyclohexanediacetic acid, tartaric acid, and trans-1,2-cy-clohexanediol. Kryptofix 222 and Kryptofix 5 significantly increased solubilized strontium, suggesting strontium chelation potential. Since in previous in vivo studies both compounds were also effective in the removal of strontium following internal contamination, it is concluded that the octanol-water system may be useful screening compounds with strontium chelation potential.

Bridged Bicyclo Compounds↗
PubMed1993

Oral vanadate and Tiron in treatment of diabetes mellitus in rats: improvement of glucose homeostasis and negative side-effects.

It has been shown that improvement of glucose homeostasis by oral vanadate or vanadyl treatment in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats is accompanied by severe negative side effects (some deaths, decreased weight gain, alteration in renal function as well as tissue vanadium accumulation) which argue against the use of vanadium compounds in diabetes treatment. The present study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness in alleviating some signs of diabetes in streptozotocin-treated rats with oral therapy with sodium metavanadate (NaVO3) and sodium 4,5 dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate (Tiron), a chelating agent effective in mobilizing vanadium. In a preliminary experiment, diabetic rats were given aqueous solutions of 0.20 mg NaVO3/ml for 4 days. Vanadium-treated rats which showed blood glucose levels significantly lower (p < 0.001) than vanadate-untreated diabetic rats were selected for subsequent experiments. These animals were given 0.20 mg NaVO3/ml in drinking water and 0, 125.6, 314 or 628 mg Tiron/kg/d by gavage for 2 w. Although most of the animals did not become normoglycemic, several characteristic signs of diabetes (hyperglycemia, hyperphagia and polydipsia) were alleviated by the NaVO3 treatment. The administration of 314 mg Tiron/kg/d (approximately 1 NaVO3: 5 Tiron, mole ratio) did not diminish the ameliorative effects of NaVO3 with respect to diabetes, but significantly decreased the level of vanadium accumulation in target organs. These results show that some of the beneficial effects of NaVO3 are maintained in diabetic animals given Tiron, while the administration of the chelator results in a significant decrease in tissue vanadium accumulation. Accordingly, this would diminish the possibility of toxic side effects derived from prolonged oral vanadium administration.

1,2-Dihydroxybenzene-3,5-Disulfonic Acid Disodium ↗
PubMed1993

Variability in the embryotoxicity and fetotoxicity of vanadate with the day of exposure.

The aim of this study was to assess the variability in the developmental toxicity of vanadate with the day of administration during gestation. Single ip injections of 25 mg sodium metavanadata/kg were given to albino Swiss mice on one of the days 9-12 of gestation. Dams were killed on day 18 of pregnancy, and fetuses were examined for external, internal and skeletal malformations and variations. The number of dead or resorbed fetuses/litter, as well as the percentage of postimplantation loss, were significantly increased with injections on days 9-12 of gestation. However, the most sensitive time for the induction of metavanadate embryotoxicity was gestational day 12. Metavanadate treatment on day 12, but not days 9-11, resulted in a significant decrease in the fetal body weight/litter. There were no external, internal or skeletal malformations, whereas the most common skeletal variations were a reduced ossification in the parietal bone, metatarsals and metacarpals, bipartite sternebrae and fused ribs. The highest percentage of total skeletal defects was found on day 12 (82.3%). Gestational day 12 is the most sensitive time for metavanadate-induced developmental toxicity in mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effect of various dietary constituents on gastrointestinal absorption of aluminum from drinking water and diet.

The influence of some frequent dietary constituents on gastrointestinal absorption of aluminum from drinking water and diet was investigated in mice. Eight groups of male mice received lactic (57.6 mg/kg/day), tartaric (96 mg/kg/day), gluconic (125.4 mg/kg/day), malic (85.8 mg/kg/day), succinic (75.6 mg/kg/day), ascorbic (112.6 mg/kg/day), citric (124 mg/kg/day), and oxalic (80.6 mg/kg/day) acids in the drinking water for one month. At the end of this period, animals were killed and aluminum concentrations in liver, spleen, kidney, brain, and bone were determined. All the dietary constituents significantly increased the aluminum levels in bone, whereas brain aluminum concentrations were also raised by the intake of lactic, gluconic, malic, citric, and oxalic acids. The levels of aluminum found in spleen were significantly increased by gluconic and ascorbic acids, whereas gluconic and oxalic acids also raised the concentrations of aluminum found in kidneys. Because of the wide presence and consumption of the above dietary constituents, in order to prevent aluminum accumulation and toxicity we suggest a drastic limitation of human exposure to aluminum.

Aluminum↗
PubMed1992

Lead concentration and delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity in the blood of the general population of Tarragona Province, Spain.

Blood samples were collected from 488 people living in an industrial and an agricultural area of Tarragona Province, Spain. The samples were subjected to blood lead analyses by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Although in the industrial area men had higher blood lead levels than women, this difference was not statistically significant. Blood lead concentrations were related to a range of factors such as age, smoking and drinking habits. Both smoking and drinking habits were associated with a dose-dependent increase in blood lead levels, especially in men. On the other hand, delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D, EC 4.2.1.24) activity was determined in blood from 186 people of Tarragona Province. The results obtained were within the normal limit values (NLV) as defined by the WHO. The present data concerning Tarragona Province show that in relation to environmental health there is not a serious problem from lead contamination.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Developmental toxicity evaluation of gallium nitrate in mice.

Gallium nitrate, a drug with antitumor activity, is presently undergoing clinical trials as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of certain malignancies. Since there are very limited published animal toxicity data available, this study was conducted to investigate the potential adverse developmental effects of this drug. Pregnant Swiss mice were administered intraperitoneally gallium nitrate at 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day on days 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 of gestation. Monitors for maternal toxicity were body weight, food consumption and clinical signs. At sacrifice (day 18) maternal weight, liver and kidney weights, and gravid uterine weights were measured. Gestational parameters monitored were numbers of total implants, resorptions, postimplantation losses, and dead fetuses. Live fetuses were sexed, weighted, and examined for external, internal and skeletal malformations and variations. Maternal toxicity was noted in all the gallium nitrate-treated groups. Embryo/fetal toxicity was evidenced by a decrease in the number of viable implants, a reduction in fetal weight, and an increase in the number of skeletal variations (12.5, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg). No significant increase in the incidence of malformations was observed at 12.5, 25, or 50 mg/kg. The no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for both maternal and developmental toxicity of gallium nitrate was less than 12.5 mg/kg.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1992

Amelioration by BAL (2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol) and DMPS (sodium 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid) of arsenite developmental toxicity in mice.

Inorganic arsenic is embryotoxic and teratogenic in chicks, golden hamsters, mice, and rats. Certain dithiol chelators have been reported to protect against arsenite-induced lethality and to decrease arsenic body burden. The present study evaluated the influence of BAL (2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol) and DMPS (sodium 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid), a water-soluble analogue of BAL, on arsenic-induced embryotoxic and teratogenic effects in the mouse. A series of four BAL or DMPS injections was administered sc to pregnant mice immediately after a single ip injection of 12 mg/kg of sodium arsenite given on Day 9 of gestation and at 24, 48, and 72 hr thereafter. Controls received sc corn oil with or without arsenite. Amelioration by BAL and DMPS of arsenite developmental toxicity was assessed at 15, 30, and 60 mg/kg/day, and 75, 150, and 300 mg/kg/day, respectively. BAL given following arsenite was not able to ameliorate the developmentally toxic effects of arsenite seen in mice, whereas treatment with DMPS at 150 and 300 mg/kg showed significant protective effects against arsenite embryotoxicity and teratogenicity. DMPS administration at 300 mg/kg also protected the dams against arsenite-induced maternal toxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Embryotoxic and teratogenic effects of intraperitoneally administered metavanadate in mice.

Metavanadate was evaluated for developmental toxicity in pregnant Swiss mice. Sodium metavanadate (NaVO3) was administered intraperitoneally on d 6-15 of gestation at doses of 0, 2, 4, or 8 mg/kg/d. On gestation d 18, all live fetuses were examined for external, visceral, and skeletal malformations and variations. Maternal toxicity was observed at 2, 4, and 8 mg/kg/d as evidenced by decreased weight gain during treatment. Increased resorptions and dead fetuses, increased percentage postimplantation loss, and reduced fetal body weight per litter were observed at 4 and 8 mg/kg/d. There were no significant increases in the type or incidence of external and skeletal anomalies, but a significant increase in the incidence of cleft palate was detected at 8 mg/kg/d. The lowest-observed-adverse-effect level (LOAEL) for maternal toxicity was 2 mg NaVO3/kg/d, while 2 mg/kg/d was also the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for significant developmental toxicity.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗