Department of Zoology, The University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, Pakistan.
Department of Zoology, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 May;26(14):14087-14096. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-04620-5. Epub 2019 Mar 9.
The liver is one of the vital and sensitive organs which are usually exposed against the toxicity of mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd). The main objective of the current study was to evaluate the potential toxicological effects of both Cd and Hg as individual and combined. Hepatotoxicity was evaluated by monitoring the biochemical parameters of the liver and their accumulation in the liver as well as therapeutic role of vitamin C in said toxicity in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In this research, cadmium chloride (1.5 mg/kg), mercuric chloride (1.2 mg/kg), and vitamin C (150 mg/kg of body weight) were orally administered to treatment groups of the rabbits for 28 alternative days. Various biochemical parameters of the liver such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), total protein, and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) were estimated using blood samples. Some biochemical parameters like ASAT, ALAT, LDH, GGT, and bilirubin were significantly elevated (P ≤ 0.001) in individual Cd and Hg treatment groups, while the level of total protein was found to be significantly declined. The effects of Cd and Hg in the presence of vitamin C on these biochemical parameters were low as compared to metals-treated groups. Similar results were found when rabbits were treated with co-administration of both metals and vitamin C. Accumulation of Cd and Hg found to be higher in the liver. However, chemoprevention and chemotreatment with vitamin C significantly (P ≤ 0.01) minimized the toxicological effects of both metals but not regained the accumulation similar to that of the control group. The findings of this study provide awareness on accumulation of metals in the liver in rabbits and their toxicity tested through biochemical parameters as well as the therapeutic role of vitamin C in such alterations.
肝脏是人体重要且敏感的器官之一，通常会接触到汞（Hg）和镉（Cd）等有毒物质。本研究的主要目的是评估 Cd 和 Hg 作为单一和联合毒物的潜在毒理学效应。通过监测肝脏的生化参数及其在肝脏中的积累，以及维生素 C 在兔子（Oryctolagus cuniculus）中对这种毒性的治疗作用，评估了肝毒性。在这项研究中，向兔子的治疗组口服氯化镉（1.5mg/kg）、氯化汞（1.2mg/kg）和维生素 C（150mg/kg 体重），共 28 天。使用血液样本评估了肝脏的各种生化参数，如乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）、天冬氨酸氨基转移酶（ASAT）、胆红素、丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALAT）、总蛋白和γ-谷氨酰转移酶（GGT）。单独的 Cd 和 Hg 处理组中，ASAT、ALAT、LDH、GGT 和胆红素等一些生化参数显著升高（P ≤ 0.001），而总蛋白水平则显著下降。与金属处理组相比，维生素 C 存在时 Cd 和 Hg 对这些生化参数的影响较低。当兔子同时接受两种金属和维生素 C 治疗时，也发现了类似的结果。Cd 和 Hg 的积累在肝脏中被发现更高。然而，维生素 C 的化学预防和化学治疗显著（P ≤ 0.01）降低了两种金属的毒理学效应，但未能使积累恢复到与对照组相似的水平。本研究的结果提高了人们对兔子肝脏中金属积累及其通过生化参数测试的毒性的认识，以及维生素 C 在这种改变中的治疗作用。
