Effects of Vitamin C on Lead Induced Developing Thymus in Mice: A review

The present review deals with effects of vitamin C on lead intoxicated developing thymus in mice .In the world of environmental health and medicine, lead exposure remains one of the most important problems in terms of prevalence of exposure and public health impact. Previous research has shown that every level of lead exposure is dangerous to animals and humans. Thus lead toxicity continues to be a leading environmental issue. Little is known about the persistent Immunotoxic effect of Pb when administered during specific stages of embryonic development. A variety of toxic effects caused by lead exposure during gestation and lactation have been reported in human and animal studies. Our immune system is our most powerful weapon against disease. Fetal and early postnatal life represents critical periods in vertebrate immune system development. Disruption of such development by Immunotoxic chemical exposure has been widely described in experimental animal model. The available animal data suggest the potential immune function in humans exposed immunotoxicants during fetal and early postnatal life. Administration of vitamin C results in improvement in several components of human immune response. Vitamin C regulates the immune system because of its antioxidant properties and its role in collagen synthesis required for stabilization of epithelial barriers. It plays a role in phagocytic function and has an immunostimulatory effect on lymphocyte cells. Limited information is available regarding the possibility of inhibited postnatal immune capacity in humans as a result of pre and postnatal immunotoxicant exposure. To fulfill this lacuna an attempt has been taken to gather the significant information on deformities in immune system due to immunotoxicant exposure during pre and postnatal development.