The present study aimed to investigate the impact of perinatal potassium bromate (KBrO3) exposure on the development of sensorimotor reflexes and redox status, and on the histological architecture of the brain, liver, and kidney of newborn mice. Pregnant mice received 1-ml bottled drinking water daily by oral intubation and served as the control group. Another group of pregnant mice were supplemented orally with 200 mg/kg body weight KBrO3 dissolved in drinking water from gestation day 5 to postnatal day 21. KBrO3 induced a decrease in the postnatal body weight in the newborn mice. KBrO3-exposed newborn mice showed poor performance and delayed development of the sensorimotor reflexes. Histological changes, increased lipid peroxidation, and altered antioxidants were reported in the cerebrum, cerebellum, medulla oblongata, liver, and kidney of the KBrO3-exposed newborn mice. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that perinatal exposure to bromate induced oxidative stress, histological and behavioral alterations, and was a potential teratogen in newborn mice.
Keywords: Bromate; birth defects; neurobehavioral disorders; neurological disorders; oxidative stress.