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Weakness in the mechanical properties of the femur of growing female rats exposed to cadmium

  • Organ Toxicity and Mechanisms
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Abstract

This study was aimed at assessing the effect of cadmium (Cd) intoxication on the risk of deformities and fractures of the growing bone on a female rat model of human exposure to this metal. For this purpose, bone mineral density (BMD) and mechanical properties of the proximal and distal ends and diaphysis of the femur were investigated in female Wistar rats exposed to 1, 5, and 50 mg Cd L−1 in drinking water for 3, 6, 9, and 12 months since weaning. Daily Cd doses received from the drinking water during the treatment period were in the ranges 0.059–0.219, 0.236–1.005, and 2.247–9.649 mg kg−1 body weight at 1, 5, and 50 mg Cd L−1, respectively. Biomechanical properties of the femoral proximal and distal ends were evaluated in a compression test and those of the femoral diaphysis in a cutting test with loading perpendicular to the bone longitudinal axis in all tests. Cd dose- and exposure duration-dependently affected the mineralization and mechanical properties of the bone tissue at various locations of the femur. Exposure to 1 mg Cd L−1 (corresponding to low human exposure) during skeletal development weakened the fracture strength of the femoral neck and of the trabecular bone at the level of the distal end of the femur and affected the elastic properties of the cortical bone at the femoral diaphysis. At the higher levels of Cd treatment, the adverse action generally occurred after shorter exposure than at 1 mg Cd L−1 and was more seriously advanced. The Cd-induced weakening in the bone biomechanical properties at particular sites of the femur correlated with the decreased bone mineralization. The results indicate that even low exposure to Cd may affect the mineralization and biomechanical properties of growing bone, thus increasing the risk of fractures.

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Acknowledgements

The present study was supported by Grant (No. 6PO5D 093 20) from the Committee for Scientific Research (KBN, Poland). The experiment complies with the current laws of Poland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Toxicology, Medical University of Białystok, Mickiewicza 2c, 15-222, Białystok, Poland

    Małgorzata M. Brzóska & Janina Moniuszko-Jakoniuk

  2. Chair of Food Plant Chemistry and Processing, Faculty of Food Science, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Plac Cieszyński 1, 10-957, Olsztyn, Poland

    Katarzyna Majewska

Authors
  1. Małgorzata M. Brzóska
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  2. Katarzyna Majewska
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  3. Janina Moniuszko-Jakoniuk
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Małgorzata M. Brzóska.

Additional information

The results were presented in part at the XII Congress of the Polish Osteoartrology Society and Polish Foundation of Osteoporosis. Cracow, Poland, 9–11 October 2003, with abstract published in Osteoporosis Int., 2003, 14 (Suppl 6):2.

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Brzóska, M.M., Majewska, K. & Moniuszko-Jakoniuk, J. Weakness in the mechanical properties of the femur of growing female rats exposed to cadmium. Arch Toxicol 79, 277–288 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-005-0650-z

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