QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Messer, H. H. Articles by Singer, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Messer, H. H. Articles by Singer, L.

Influence of Fluoride Intake on Reproduction in Mice^{1 ,2}

Department of Biochemistry (Health Sciences), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Female mice were fed a low fluoride diet (0.1 to 0.3 ppm fluoride) plus drinking water containing 0, 50, 100 or 200 ppm fluoride as sodium fluoride. Toxic effects of fluoride were evidenced by retarded growth and impaired reproduction in mice with intakes of 100 and 200 ppm fluoride, and the higher level resulted in a high mortality rate (50% deaths in 5 weeks). Mice with a low fluoride intake developed signs of fluorine deficiency, with a progressive development of infertility in two successive generations. Growth rate and litter size were not affected by the low fluoride intake, but the percentage of mice producing litters was lower, and the age at delivery of the first litter was greater than in mice receiving 50 ppm fluoride.

KEY WORDS: • fluorine • infertility • essential element

¹ Supported by Grant no. DE-01850, National Institute of Dental Research, Bethesda, Maryland.

² This material was presented in part at the 50th Annual Meeting, International Association for Dental Research, Las Vegas, Nevada, March 1972 (abstract no. 148).

Manuscript received 7 March 1978.