P- ISSN 1991-8941 E-ISSN 2706-6703 Journal of University of Anbar for Pure Science (JUAPS) Open Access 2010,(4), (2 ) :01-07 1 PHYSIOLOGICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL EFFECT OF LEAD ACETATE IN KIDNEY OF MALE MICE Mus musculus. Sulaf Mustafa Mohammed University of Sulaimani - College of science. ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Received: 16 / 1 /2010 Accepted: 24 / 5 /2010 Available online: 14/6/2012 DOI:10.37652/juaps.2010.15322 Human exposure to lead continues to be a serious public health problem, because lead can cause renal disease and the kidney has the highest concentrations among the soft tissues. Exposure to lead is associated with adverse effects on renal function in laboratory animals and man. An experiment was conducted to study the effect of oral feeding of lead acetate on kidney by estimation the levels of uric acid, urea and creatinine in the serum of mice and the histological parameters of kidney in three different durations. Mice were treated with 0.4 mg/100 ml lead acetate (LA) for 10 days (group A) and for 20 days (group B) and for 30 days (group C).levels of urea in the serum of group A, B, and C increased significantly comparing with the control group, also there was significant differences between group A and group B and between group A and group C, but there was no significant differences between Group B and group C. Level of serum uric acid in groups A, B, C increased significantly comparing with the control group but there was no significant differences among treated group.Serum creatinine levels in group A increased none significantly comparing with the control group. While increased significantly in both of group B and group C, there was significant differences between group A and group C, but there was no significant differences between group A and group B.Kidney sections in group A characterized by foci of congestion and heamorrhage.Glomerular swelling revealed in the kidneys of group B, but the kidney of group C revealed vasculitis, heamorrhage and early hyalinization, normal gromeruli appear in all treated groups. Keywords: Lead acetate, kidney function, urea, creatinine, serum uric acid, histopathology. Introduction: Heavy metals such as lead are a major environmental and occupational hazard. These non- essential elements are toxic at very low doses and non- biodegradable with a very long biological half life. Thus, expuser to heavy metals is potentially harmful (1). Human exposure to lead continues to be a serious public health problem (2). The exposure sources include lead in the workplace, in dust and soil, in folk remedies, in crystal or ceramic containers, and in hobby-related materials (2, 3). * Corresponding author at: University of Sulaimani - College of science, Iraq.E-mail address: sulafmohammad@yahoo.com Lead exposure is associated with neurologic (4, 5), growth (6), and reproductive defects (6-14). Lead exposure in men has been associated with abnormalities of spermatogenesis (8). An inverse relationship between blood lead and sperm concentration has been reported (10, 11). Environmental lead poisoning is an increasing health burden and chronic exposure to high levels of lead leads to adverse effect on renal function in both animals and humans(15).lead induced renal damage also occurs in the absence of acute intoxication so that occult lead nephropathy may not be recognized as such restek- Samarzija et al (16).Chronic accumulation of lead in the body eventually leads to impairment in renal function