The effects of long-term exposure to cadmium on the small blood vessels in the rat uterus: a light microscopic study.

A group of female Wistar rats was exposed to 0.5 mg/kg cadmium three times a week for a period of 29 weeks. The cadmium was administered as the chloride in saline by subcutaneous injection. A second group of female Wistars was divided into a control group and and two experimental groups. The animals in the last two groups were exposed to 0.23 and 0.046 mg/kg cadmium three times a week for a period of 82 weeks, likewise administered by subcutaneous injection, to study the long-term effects of cadmium on the microvasculature of the uterus. The small blood vessels in the myometric layer of the uteri were studied. The thickness of the media was analyzed and an inventory was made on the morphology of the media, of the endothelial layer, and of the perivascular connective tissue. A dose- and time-related increase of the thickness of the media could be demonstrated. In the highest dose group, signs of perivascular inflammatory reaction could be observed.