title: Toxicity assessment due to sub-chronic exposure to individual and mixtures of four toxic heavy metals.
abstract: Humans are exposed to a cocktail of heavy metal toxicants in the environment. Though heavy metals are deleterious, there is a paucity of information on toxicity of low dose mixtures. In this study, lead (Pb) (0.01mg/L), mercury (Hg) (0.001mg/L), cadmium (Cd) (0.005mg/L) and arsenic (As) (0.01mg/L) were administered individually and as mixtures to 10 groups of 40 three-week old mice (20 males and 20 females), for 120 days. The study established that low dose exposures induced toxicity to the brain, liver, and kidney of mice. Metal mixtures showed higher toxicities compared to individual metals, as exposure to low dose Pb+Hg+Cd reduced brain weight and induced structural lesions, such as neuronal degeneration in 30-days. Pb+Hg+Cd and Pb+Hg+As+Cd exposure induced hepatocellular injury to mice evidenced by decreased antioxidant activities with marginal increases in MDA. These were accentuated by increases in ALT, AST and ALP. Interactions in metal mixtures were basically synergistic in nature and exposure to Pb+Hg+As+Cd induced renal tubular necrosis in kidneys of mice. This study underlines the importance of elucidating the toxicity of low dose metal mixtures so as to protect public health.
authors: School of the Environment, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China.
authors: Samuel J
authors: SJ
authors: Cobbina
authors: School of the Environment, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China.
authors: Yao
authors: Y
authors: Chen
authors: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
authors: Zhaoxiang
authors: Z
authors: Zhou
authors: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
authors: Xueshan
authors: X
authors: Wu
authors: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
authors: Ting
authors: T
authors: Zhao
authors: School of the Environment, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China.
authors: Zhen
authors: Z
authors: Zhang
authors: School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China.
authors: Weiwei
authors: W
authors: Feng
authors: School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Wang
authors: School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China.
authors: Qian
authors: Q
authors: Li
authors: School of the Environment, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: wuxy@ujs.edu.cn.
authors: Xiangyang
authors: X
authors: Wu
authors: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Rd. 301, Zhenjiang 212013, China. Electronic address: yangliuqing@ujs.edu.cn.
authors: Liuqing
authors: L
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000633:toxicity*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008628:Mercury / Q000633:toxicity*; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009336:Necrosis / Q000139:chemically induced; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D008628:Mercury; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Low dose; Metal mixture; Multivariate; Oxidative stress; Toxicity