Dose-dependent brain tin concentration in rats given stannous chloride in drinking water.

Male Wistar rats were given either 100 mg SnCl2 X 2H2O per litre (0.44 mM), 250 mg/l (1.11 mM) or 500 mg/l (2.22 mM) in their drinking water for 1-18 weeks. Tin detected by a novel atomic absorption spectrophotometric method accumulated in the cerebrum at the highest dose level (2.22 mM) throughout the experiment. In brain, tin concentrations above the 1.11-mM dose were only found after 15 and 18 weeks. Tin did not increase in the brain at the 0.44-mM dose level. Blood tin increased promptly after one week at the highest dose (2.22 mM) without further accumulation. Blood tin at the 0.44 mM dose level did not differ from controls. Tin exposure caused a dose-dependent increase in the cerebral and muscle acetylcholinesterase activity at the two higher doses.