Abstract
Dietary cadmium (Cd2+) intake is implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension and anaemia, but there is a paucity of information on the haematological changes in hypertensive conditions. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate the effects of Cd2+ on blood pressure (BP) and haematological indices in the Sprague–Dawley rat model. Three cohorts (n = 10 each) of control and Cd2+-fed male Sprague–Dawley rats were selected. Cd2+-exposed rats received 2.5 or 5 mg/kg b.w. cadmium chloride via gavage thrice-weekly for eight weeks, while control animals received tap water. BP and flow were measured non-invasively from rat tails twice-weekly using a CODA machine, while weights were measured thrice-weekly. Haematological indices were assessed using the Cell-Dyn Emerald Haematology Analyzer. Data were reported as mean ± SEM, and statistically analyzed using One-Way Analysis of Variance. Bonferroni post hoc test was used for multiple comparisons. Cd2+-exposure induced hypertension by significantly (p < 0.05) elevating systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BPs, pulse pressure, and heart rate (HR), and increased (p < 0.05) blood flow. Mean cell volume (MCV) and haemoglobin (MCH) were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced, and red cell distribution width (RDW) significantly (p < 0.01) increased by exposure to 5 mg/kg b.w. Cd2+. Haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), haematocrit, haemoglobin, red blood cell, platelet, mean platelet volume, and white blood cell counts were unaffected by Cd2+-exposure. Cd2+ induced hypertension, microcytosis, hypochromicity, and anisocytosis without anaemia, which may be precursor to microcytic anaemia and coronary artery disease. This study is important in Cd2+-exposed environments and warrants further investigations.
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This work was funded by grants obtained from the Mona Campus Committee for Research and Publications and Graduate Awards of the School for Graduate Studies and Research, The University of the West Indies.
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Conception and design were performed by CN. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by GM. The first draft of the manuscript was written by GM and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Funding for the study was acquired by GM and CN. Resources for the study were provided by CN. The entire study was supervised by CN and PB.
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Experiments were conducted in accordance with the guidelines and regulations stipulated by the University Hospital of the West Indies/University of the West Indies Faculty of Medical Sciences (UHWI/UWI FMS) Ethics Committee, University of the West Indies, Mona (approval number AN 16, 12/13).
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McCalla, G., Brown, P.D. & Nwokocha, C. Cadmium induces microcytosis and anisocytosis without anaemia in hypertensive rats. Biometals 37, 519–526 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-023-00567-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-023-00567-w