title: Estimation of the combined effect of Eleutherococcus senticosus extract and cadmium on liver cells.
abstract: Cadmium (Cd) is an important industrial pollutant, even though its mechanism of toxicity has not been completely clarified. Cd(2+) is toxic to a wide range of organs and tissues. Liver and kidneys are the primary target organs of cadmium toxicity. Cd(2+) induces apoptosis and causes necrotic cell death in certain pathophysiological situations. Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Maxim. has many beneficial features. It supports the organism's stress response, immune system, and endocrine system, including the adrenal glands, spleen, and thymus gland. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of the Eleutherococcus senticosus (ES) liquid extract on the accumulation of Cd(2+) in liver and on the mitotic and apoptotic activity of liver cells after chronic intoxication by Cd(2+). Experiments were carried out on white laboratory mice. Laboratory mice were given to drink solutions of different Cd(2+) and ES concentrations for 8 weeks. Cd(2+) concentration in mouse liver was detected using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Mitotic and apoptotic activity of liver cells was expressed as an estimated number of mitotic and apoptotic cells in randomly selected reference areas in a histological slide. ES combined with CdCl(2) leads to a significant decrease of cadmium concentration in the blood and liver of experimental mice. ES decreased the cadmium-induced mitotic and apoptotic activity of liver cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiology, Kaunas University of Medicine, Kaunas, Lithuania. smalina@vector.kmu.lt
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smalinskiene
authors.forename: Vaiva
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lesauskaite
authors.forename: Virgilijus
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zitkevicius
authors.forename: Nijole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Savickiene
authors.forename: Arunas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savickas
authors.forename: Stanislovas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ryselis
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sadauskiene
authors.forename: Leonid
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ivanov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002104:Cadmium / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D019256:Cadmium Chloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D028001:Eleutherococcus / Q000737:chemistry*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008938:Mitosis / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D002104:Cadmium; D019256:Cadmium Chloride