Toxic effects of cadmium chloride on pregnancy, kidneys, and livers of newly born albino rats.

Abstract

Cadmium is an environmentally toxic metal, and epidemiological studies have confirmed that exposure to it originates from various environmental sources. Study investigates the effect of cadmium chloride on uterus in rats and newborn livers and kidneys. Twenty female rats, aged 6–8 weeks and weighing 200–250 g, were divided into two groups. Group A received distilled water, while Group B received oral CdCl₂ at a dose of 40 mg/kg/day via gastric gavage, five times per week. The first day after birth, the kidneys and livers of the newborns were collected, while the non-pregnant rats were sacrificed after 35 days to collect the uterus for routine histological examination. Histopathological examination of newborn kidneys revealed mild granular degeneration and a little necrosis of lining cells of renal tubules while livers showed a similar histological feature to control group. The uterus revealed marked hyperplasia of the endometrial epithelium with noticeable multiple glandular cyst formations and marked mitotic figures of the glandular lining cells, along with many tissue macrophages laden with hemosiderin. The study showed that exposure to oral CdCl₂ affected female rats; approximately 80% of the cases were non-pregnant. Meanwhile, 20% of the pregnant females showed a decrease in the number of newborns. Examination of the newborns’ kidneys showed several changes, while the livers were similar to those of the control group.