Effect of Acute Toxicity of Cadmium in Mice Kidney Cells

Background: Cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metals in our environmenthaving a very strong ability to accumulate in body organs, especially in kidney. Thepresent study was done to determine the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in kidneys ofrats exposed to cadmium.Methods: Male rats (n=30), kept in standard conditions were used in this study.The animals were randomly divided into 2 groups (control and treatment). Thetreatment group was intraperitoneally injected with Cd (300μm/kg) at hours 0, 6,12, 24, 48. Twenty four hours after the last injection, the rats were sacrificed andtheir kidneys were obtained. Then oxidative stress markers, malondialdehide(MDA), glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were assayed inhomogenized kidney for studying their cytotoxicity. For genotoxicity and DNAdamage studies, Comet assay was run on isolated kidney cells. Data analysis wasdone by t-test and ANOVA using SPSS software version 15.Results: MDA and GSH concentrations in normal and Cd exposed kidney cellswere 287.01±37.30nmol/g.pr and 15.61±3.89μmol/g.pr and 609.24±87.87nmol/g.prand 28.52±5.22μmol/g.pr, respectively. In addition, SOD activity in normal and Cdexposed kidney cells were 77.75±4.12 and 218.91±5.40 U/mg.pr, respectively.Comet assay results (content comet length, tail length, and head diameter)showed DNA breakage in the treatment group that was stimulated by Cd whichwas not seen in the control group.Conclusion: The results demonstrated the genotoxicity effect of Cd on kidneycells as well as the ability of Cd to producing cytotoxicity.