Therapeutic potential of thiamine hydrochloride in experimental chronic lead intoxication in goats

The therapeutic potential of thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1) was evaluated in experimental chronic lead poisoning in goats. Eighteen goats divided into three groups were used. Goats of group A served as healthy controls while those of B1 and B2 received oral doses of 10, 15 and 20 mg lead acetate (5.43, 8.15 and 10.86 mg lead kg-1 body-weight) for 30, 30 and 31 days, respectively. At the end of the 91 days, thiamine hydrochloride was given at 20 mg kg-1 bodyweight subcutaneously for 15 days to group B2. Goats of group B1 served as lead exposed untreated controls. Significantly (P less than 0.05) higher lead concentrations were found in blood, liver, kidney and brain samples of lead exposed untreated goats than in healthy control or in lead exposed thiamine treated goats. The lead concentration, however, remained significantly (P less than 0.05) higher in all these tissues of thiamine treated goats than in healthy controls and no appreciable difference could be recorded in histopathological lesions between lead exposed untreated and thiamine treated goats.