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Short term cadmium administration dose dependently elicits immediate biochemical, neurochemical and neurobehavioral dysfunction in male rats

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Abstract

Cadmium is a toxic environmental and industrial pollutant. Cadmium toxicity has been reported to produce biochemical and behavioral dysfunction that may cause adverse effects on several organs including the central nervous system. The present study was designed to investigate the neurotoxic effects of Cadmium Chloride (CdCl2) at three different doses by using different behavioral models. Lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities were also monitored following acute intraperitoneal injection of cadmium. Twenty four adult locally bred Albino Wistar rats were divided into control and 3 test groups (n = 6). Control rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline (0.9 % NaCl) and test groups were injected with CdCl2 (1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg) dissolved in physiological solution. Behavioral activities of rats were monitored after 1 h of cadmium injection. Locomotor activity and depression-like symptoms were measured by Open Field Test (OFT) and Forced Swimming Test (FST) respectively. Anxiety like behavior was monitored using Light–dark Transition (LDT) test and memory functions of rats were assessed by Morris Water Maze test (MWM). In the present study acute cadmium administration dose dependently increased anxiety in rats as compared to control rats. A significant increase in depression-like symptoms was also exhibited by cadmium treated rats. These behavioral dysfunctions may be attributed to the decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and simultaneously increased brain lipid peroxidation (LPO). Moreover learning and memory assessed by MWM showed dose dependent impairment in memory function in cadmium treated rats as compared to control rats. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was also decreased in brains of cadmium administered rats. It is suggested in this study that behavioral, biochemical and neurochemical dysfunctions caused by acute cadmium administration occur in a dose dependent manner.

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Abbreviations

5-HT:

5-hydroxytryptamine

BBB:

Blood brain barrier

CdCl2 :

Cadmium Chloride

FST:

Forced swimming test

LDT:

Light–dark transition

MWM:

Morris water maze

OFT:

Open field test

AChE:

Acetylcholinesterase

LPO:

Lipid peroxidation

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

ATC:

Acetylthiocholine

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the University of Karachi, Pakistan for funding this project.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurochemistry and Biochemical Neuropharmacology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Saida Haider, Zehra Batool & Fizza Naqvi

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Federal Urdu University, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Lubna Anis, Irfan Sajid, Saima Khaliq & Shoaib Ahmed

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi, 74600, Pakistan

    Zehra Batool

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  1. Saida Haider
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  2. Lubna Anis
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  3. Zehra Batool
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Correspondence to Saida Haider.

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Haider, S., Anis, L., Batool, Z. et al. Short term cadmium administration dose dependently elicits immediate biochemical, neurochemical and neurobehavioral dysfunction in male rats. Metab Brain Dis 30, 83–92 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-014-9578-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-014-9578-4

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