title: Effects of chronic cadmium poisoning on Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca, and metallothionein in liver and kidney of rats.
abstract: An experiment was conducted to invest effects of chronic cadmium poisoning on Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca, and metallothionein gene expression and protein synthesis in liver and kidney in rats. Forty rats, 6 weeks old, were randomly allocated into two groups. A group was given CdCl(2) (1 mg/KgCd(2+)) by intraperitoneal injection once a day. The other group was treated with normal saline in the same way. Liver and kidney were collected for analysis at the end of the third week. Results showed that Cd exposure increased Cd (P<0.01) and Zn (P<0.01) content both in liver and kidney. Fe and Ca concentration had a considerable increase in kidney (P<0.01), while both had different degree reduction in liver. Discrepancies between MT mRNA and protein were observed in liver and kidney. In liver, both MT mRNA and protein had a significant increase (P<0.01), while in kidney, only MT gene increase was checked. Meanwhile, the expression levels of MT-1 mRNA and MT-2 mRNA were distinct between liver and kidney. The present study indicated that changes in tissue Cd and Zn levels tended to reflect MT mRNA expression, but bear no clear relationship with MT protein. There did not have a strict dose-dependent relationship among Cd content, MT gene expression, and MT protein synthesis. What is more, changes of Zn, Fe, Cu, and Ca had a certain interaction with both MT mRNA and protein.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ding
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jianfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Kerong
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jiakui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism; D019256:Cadmium Chloride / Q000633:toxicity; D002105:Cadmium Poisoning / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015870:Gene Expression; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D036401:Toxicity Tests, Chronic; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D008668:Metallothionein; D007501:Iron; D015032:Zinc; D019256:Cadmium Chloride; D002118:Calcium