Cadmium chloride-induced changes in hypothalamic 5-hydroxytryptamine, noradrenaline and dopamine levels in the Indian palm squirrel, Funambulus pennanti (Wroughton).

A single intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride (CdCl2, 0.32 mg/kg body weight) was administered to 15 adult female palm squirrels (Funambulus pennanti (Wroughton] and the hypothalamic 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) levels were quantified on the 1st, 7th and 40th day. 5-HT levels significantly decreased on the 1st and 40th day but showed an increase on the 7th day. Similarly, NA levels significantly decreased after 1, 7 and 40 days of treatment, and DA levels decreased on the 1st and 7th day but insignificantly increased on the 40th day. This suggests that CdCl2 interferes in the functioning of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis by impairing the hypothalamic 5-HT, NA and DA levels, which may in turn affect the physiology of the peripheral endocrine glands.