College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, People's Republic of China.
Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, People's Republic of China.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2020 Nov;198(1):206-215. doi: 10.1007/s12011-020-02045-7. Epub 2020 Jan 31.
Exposure to cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) can induce liver damage. However, the effects of the combined exposure to Cd and Pb on liver function have not been fully clarified. In the present study, we investigated the liver function in rats co-exposed to Cd and Pb. A total of 24 female SD rats were divided into 4 groups as follows: control group (DDW), Cd group (50 mg/l Cd), Pb group (300 mg/l Pb), Pb + Cd group (300 mg/l + 50 mg/l Cd). Following 12 weeks of continuous exposure, the results showed a large accumulation of Cd and Pb in the liver. The Liver weight and Liver coefficient were decreased, as well as liver structure and function was destroyed. In addition, Pb + Cd group exhibited additional pathological alterations. Moreover, the indices of oxidative stress and related trace elements were detected following treatment. The results showed that the single treatment of Pb or Cd and the combined Cd and Pb treatment could upregulate the contents of antioxidant enzymes and related trace elements. We further examined the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins and mRNAs, and we found that the single treatment of Pb or Cd and the combined Cd and Pb treatment could upregulate the expression of levels of autophagy-related proteins and mRNAs (Atg5, Atg7, Beclin-1, p62, and LC3). Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of autophagosomes in the exposed groups. All the results indicated that Cd and Pb may affect the level of oxidative stress and autophagy in hepatocytes, whereas the combination of Cd and Pb showed a tendency of escalation compared with the single treatment group.
镉（Cd）和铅（Pb）暴露可导致肝损伤。然而，Cd 和 Pb 联合暴露对肝功能的影响尚未完全阐明。在本研究中，我们研究了 Cd 和 Pb 共暴露对大鼠肝功能的影响。将 24 只雌性 SD 大鼠随机分为 4 组：对照组（DDW）、Cd 组（50mg/L Cd）、Pb 组（300mg/L Pb）、Pb+Cd 组（300mg/L+50mg/L Cd）。连续暴露 12 周后，结果显示肝内 Cd 和 Pb 大量蓄积。肝重和肝系数降低，肝结构和功能受到破坏。此外，Pb+Cd 组还表现出额外的病理改变。此外，还检测了处理后氧化应激和相关微量元素的指标。结果表明，Pb 或 Cd 的单一处理以及 Cd 和 Pb 的联合处理均可上调抗氧化酶和相关微量元素的含量。我们进一步检测了自噬相关蛋白和 mRNAs 的表达水平，发现 Pb 或 Cd 的单一处理以及 Cd 和 Pb 的联合处理均可上调自噬相关蛋白和 mRNAs（Atg5、Atg7、Beclin-1、p62 和 LC3）的表达水平。透射电镜显示暴露组存在自噬体。所有结果表明，Cd 和 Pb 可能影响肝细胞氧化应激和自噬水平，而 Cd 和 Pb 的联合处理与单一处理组相比表现出加剧的趋势。
