Effects of Cadmium and/or Lead on Autophagy and Liver Injury in Rats
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Effects of Cadmium and/or Lead on Autophagy and Liver Injury in Rats Hui Zou 1,2 & Jian Sun 1,2 & Bo Wu 1,2 & Yan Yuan 1,2 & Jianhong Gu 1,2 & Jianchun Bian 1,2 & Xuezhong Liu 1,2 & Zongping Liu 1,2 Received: 22 November 2019 / Accepted: 8 January 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract 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. Keywords Cadmium and lead . Oxidative stress . Liver . Autophagy
Introduction Previous studies have shown that cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) exposure can cause damage to various organs. Liver and kidney are the main target organs [1]. The biological half-life of Cd in the human and animal organisms is estimated from 10 to 30 years. Once Cd enters the body, its excretion is considerably difficult [2]. With the recent research, it is shown that the workers in pigment and batteries production, galvanization and recycle ng of electric tools, and related electronics industries may consume too much lead and/or cadmium [3–5]. Both Cd and Pb can cause liver damage in a variety of ways. Hui Zou, Jian Sun and Bo Wu contributed equally to this work. * Zongping Liu [email protected] 1
College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, People’s Republic of China
2
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
Previous studies have shown that bo
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