Acute Cadmium Administration Induces Apoptosis in Rat Thymus and Testicle, but not Liver

Experiments investigated the implication of apoptosis in the cytotoxicity of cadmium on rat thymus, testicle, and liver tissues. Evidence from these experiments indicated that four days following injection of the Cd at rates of 1.5 and 3.0 mg/kg b.w. i.p., the relative weight of the testicle and thy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polish journal of environmental studies 2003-01, Vol.12 (5), p.589-589
Main Authors: Krichah, R, Ben Rhouma, K, Hallegue, D, Tebourbi, O, Joulin, V, Couton, D, Sakly, M
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Experiments investigated the implication of apoptosis in the cytotoxicity of cadmium on rat thymus, testicle, and liver tissues. Evidence from these experiments indicated that four days following injection of the Cd at rates of 1.5 and 3.0 mg/kg b.w. i.p., the relative weight of the testicle and thymus was reduced, while the relative weight of the liver increased dramatically in a dose-dependent manner. Researchers determined that a six hour incubation of thymatocytes under in vitro conditions in the presence of 10 super(-3)M Cd caused a typical degradation of DNA into oligonucleotide fragments similar to that found in the presence of dexamethasone. These findings indicated the induction of apoptosis in the cells. The fragmentation could be prevented through the addition of 1 mM ZnSO sub(4), a metallic antioxidant.
ISSN:1230-1485