Abstract

SUMMARY: Adult female Wistar rats were treated daily for 60 days with sodium fluoride (500 ppm NaF = 226 ppm fluoride ion) in drinking water, alone or in combination with vitamin D (200 IU/kg by oral intubation). Throughout the period, food intake was measured daily. Body weight gain, exploratory motor activity (EMA) rota-rod motor coordination, dental structure, brain acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity, and serum fluoride and serum calcium concentration were determined 24 hr after the last treatment. Serum fluoride concentration increased markedly in the NaF-treated animals and was accompanied by decreased food intake, reduced body weight gain, impairment of EMA and motor coordination, dental lesions, inhibition of brain AchE activity, and hypocalcemia. Administration of vitamin D along with NaF prevented hypocalcemia. However, the toxic action fluoride on motor coordination, brain AchE activity, and the teeth was not prevented in these animals, probably because vitamin D is not able to decrease the level of fluoride in the serum. Therefore, vitamin D has only limited value as a protective dietary factor against chronic toxic effects of fluoride.