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Effects of Chronic Cadmium Poisoning on Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca, and Metallothionein in Liver and Kidney of Rats

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Abstract

An experiment was conducted to invest effects of chronic cadmium poisoning on Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca, and metallothionein gene expression and protein synthesis in liver and kidney in rats. Forty rats, 6 weeks old, were randomly allocated into two groups. A group was given CdCl2 (1 mg/KgCd2+) by intraperitoneal injection once a day. The other group was treated with normal saline in the same way. Liver and kidney were collected for analysis at the end of the third week. Results showed that Cd exposure increased Cd (P < 0.01) and Zn (P < 0.01) content both in liver and kidney. Fe and Ca concentration had a considerable increase in kidney (P < 0.01), while both had different degree reduction in liver. Discrepancies between MT mRNA and protein were observed in liver and kidney. In liver, both MT mRNA and protein had a significant increase (P < 0.01), while in kidney, only MT gene increase was checked. Meanwhile, the expression levels of MT-1 mRNA and MT-2 mRNA were distinct between liver and kidney. The present study indicated that changes in tissue Cd and Zn levels tended to reflect MT mRNA expression, but bear no clear relationship with MT protein. There did not have a strict dose-dependent relationship among Cd content, MT gene expression, and MT protein synthesis. What is more, changes of Zn, Fe, Cu, and Ca had a certain interaction with both MT mRNA and protein.

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Abbreviations

MT:

Metallothionein

ICP-MS:

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

MTF-1/2:

Metalloregulatory transcription factor 1/2

MRE:

Metal response element

PKC:

Protein kinase C

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

PMSF:

Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and Huazhong Agricultural University Scientific & Technological Self-innovation Foundation. We thank the members of the veterinary internal medicine laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People’s Republic of China

    Ding Zhang, Jianfeng Gao, Kerong Zhang, Xiaodong Liu & Jiakui Li

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  1. Ding Zhang
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  2. Jianfeng Gao
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  3. Kerong Zhang
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  4. Xiaodong Liu
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  5. Jiakui Li
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Correspondence to Jiakui Li.

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Ding Zhang and Jianfeng Gao had the same contribution to this study.

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Zhang, D., Gao, J., Zhang, K. et al. Effects of Chronic Cadmium Poisoning on Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca, and Metallothionein in Liver and Kidney of Rats. Biol Trace Elem Res 149, 57–63 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-012-9394-9

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