%0 Journal Article
%T Fetal contamination with cadmium following chronic exposure of rat dams during gestation
%A R S Ekine
%A G O Agu
%J African Journal of Applied Zoology and Environmental Biology
%D 2005
%I 
%X Pregnant albino rats (n = 5) were exposed to cadmium in the form of cadmium acetate (0.14 gm/l) in both drinking water and feed ad libitum from day 1 to day 18 of gestation to investigate the level of maternal-fetal transfer of cadmium. Control pregnant rats (n = 5) received non-treated water and feed. Cadmium levels in maternal blood and fetal tissue in both treated and control groups were analyzed using absorption spectrophotometry and compared using the Student's t test. Mean cadmium level in the blood of treated dams (17.8 ¡À 0.8 ¦Ìg/ml) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of control rats (3.6 ¡À 0.5, P < 0.05). Mean cadmium levels in fetuses from treated dam (11.0 ¡À 3.5) was 60% of that in maternal blood and was significantly higher (P< 0.05) than that of control fetuses (0.9 ¡À 0.2). It was concluded that cadmium, contrary to previous reports, can pass through the placenta in appreciable quantity to contaminate the fetus to possibly cause fetal abnormalities in the rat.
%U http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajazeb/article/view/41159