Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Female albino rats, Rattus norvegicus Wistar strain were treated with oral chronic dose of lead (60 mg/kg) daily for 90 days. Lead caused an irregularity in the estrous cycle and also a’ decreased fertility rate upto 40 percent. The pups delivered by treated dams had a high mortality rate, slow growth rate and the female pups showed late vaginal opening. It also caused reduction in the weight of pups as well as treated mothers. Lead with adequate dosage through time causes, even at chronic level, adverse effects and disrupts the normal functioning of the sensitive reproductive system in females.
Chronic dose, Lead, Rats, Reproduction
