title: Cadmium distribution and metallothionein expression in lizard tissues following acute and chronic cadmium intoxication.
abstract: The present report is an attempt to investigate the influence of intraperitoneal and dietary cadmium exposure on the distribution of cadmium accumulation and induction of metallothionein gene expression in different tissues of the lizard Podarcis sicula. Cadmium accumulation in liver, kidney, ovary, brain and intestine was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. Metallothionein gene induction was determined by dot blot analyses on the total RNA extracted from the same organs. Our data indicate that cadmium exposure results in significant cadmium uptake, but the patterns of this uptake varies with organ and exposure route. After a single intraperitoneal treatment, concentrations of cadmium and metallothionein transcript are positively correlated in kidney, liver and ovary. Following a dietary cadmium treatment, a positive correlation between the increase of metallothionein mRNA and cadmium accumulation is found in intestine, ovary and kidney, while no correlation is present in liver and brain.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento delle Scienze Biologiche-Sezione di Biologia Evolutiva e Comparata, Università Federico II, via Mezzocannone 8, 80134 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trinchella
authors.forename: Marilisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riggio
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Filosa
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Volpe
authors.forename: Elio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scudiero
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002105:Cadmium Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008116:Lizards / Q000378:metabolism*; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D012313:RNA; D008668:Metallothionein