РУАЭСТ (RUAEST)
CONTENT OF METALLOTHIONEINS IN THE ORGANS OF SHEEP UNDER CHRONIC INTAKE OF LEAD WITH RATION
When studying the effects of lead on mammals, one of the informative indicators is the level of metallothioneins (MTs) in organs. MTs are low molecular weight proteins (6-7 kDa) containing up to 30 % cysteine which bind heavy metal ions (Cd, Zn, Pb, Hg, Cu) and act as a trap for free radicals. It is assumed that the MTs content in tissues of mammals depends not only on the amount of lead, the way of intake (with water and/or diet), the type of the tissue and its physiological functions, but on the number of cells in the body and their functional activity. At the same time, the violation in functional and synthetic activity of cells may be related to changes in the weight indices of the bodies. In this regard, the study of MT levels in farm animals as influenced by lead is of interest. In the present work we studied experimentally the MT content, the cellularity and the weight index of the organs in sheep of the Romanov breed under lead intoxication.