title: Protective effect of cannabidiol against cadmium hepatotoxicity in rats.
abstract: The protective effect of cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive component of Cannabis sativa, against liver toxicity induced by a single dose of cadmium chloride (6.5 mgkg(-1) i.p.) was investigated in rats. Cannabidiol treatment (5 mgkg(-1)/day, i.p.) was applied for five days starting three days before cadmium administration. Cannabidiol significantly reduced serum alanine aminotransferase, and suppressed hepatic lipid peroxidation, prevented the depletion of reduced glutathione and nitric oxide, and catalase activity, and attenuated the elevation of cadmium level in the liver tissue resulted from cadmium administration. Histopathological examination showed that cadmium-induced liver tissue injury was ameliorated by cannabidiol treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that cannabidiol significantly decreased the cadmium-induced expression of tumor necrosis factor-α, cyclooxygenase-2, nuclear factor-κB, caspase-3, and caspase-9, and increased the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in liver tissue. It was concluded that cannabidiol may represent a potential option to protect the liver tissue from the detrimental effects of cadmium toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacology Division, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: amrfouad65@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Amr A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Fouad
authors.forename: Abdulruhman S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Al-Mulhim
authors.forename: Wafaey
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gomaa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019256:Cadmium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity; D002185:Cannabidiol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D002185:Cannabidiol; D019256:Cadmium Chloride
keywords: Cadmium toxicity; Cannabidiol; Liver; Rats