Study of the Reproductive Effects in Rats Surgically Implanted With Depleted Uranium for Up to 90 Days

Abstract

In 2001, the Naval Health Research Center Toxicology Detachment was funded by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) to conduct a study of the effects of surgically implanted depleted uranium (DU) pellets on adult rat reproductive success and development across two successive generations. This article presents some of the findings for the group of offspring from adult rats mated at 30 d post surgical implantation of DU pellets. Adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (P1 generation) were surgically implanted with 0, 4, 8, or 12 DU pellets (1 × 2 mm). The P1 generation was then cross-mated at 30 d post surgical implantation. Urine collected from P1 animals at 27 d post surgical implantation showed that DU was excreted in the urine of DU-implanted animals in a dose-dependent manner. DU surgical implantation did not have a negative impact on P1 reproductive success, survival, or body weight gain through post surgical implantation d 90. There were no statistically significant differences in F1 birth weight, survival, and litter size at postnatal day (PND) 0, 5, and 20. No gross physical abnormalities identified in the offspring were attributable to neonatal DU exposure. A series of neurodevelopment and immune function assessments were also conducted on F1 offspring. No group differences were observed that were related to parental DU exposure. Studies are ongoing on the impact of leaving DU embedded in soft tissue for 120 d on rat reproduction and subsequent offspring survival and development.

Acknowledgments

This work was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5014. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policy of the Department of the Navy, Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government. This article is approved for public release, distribution unlimited.

The experiments reported here were conducted according to the principles set forth in the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals,” Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council, DHHS, Publication No. (NIH) 86-23 (1996). All procedures involving live animals were approved by the WPAFB Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) as protocol number F-WA-2002-0064-A.