Health effects of low-level cadmium intake and the role of metallothionein on cadmium transport from mother rats to fetus

Female Wistar rats were given Cd (as CdCl2) at a dose of 0, 1, 2, and 5 mgCd/kg/day by gastric tube daily for 6 consecutive days each week for 10 weeks. After the birth, newborn rats were sacrificed on day 1 and at 4 weeks. Mother rats were sacrificed after 4 weeks of lactation The concentrations of Cd in uterus and placenta, and metallothionein (MT) in the uterus of mother rats were determined. The concentrations of Cd in kidney and liver of newborn rats were also determined. Expression of iso-MT genes (I, II, and III) in the uterus of mother rats was measured using RT-PCR. The Cd concentration in the liver of newborn rats at the first day after birth was higher than in the kidney, while the concentration in the kidney of newborn rats at the fourth week after the birth was significantly higher than in the liver. The uterine MT concentration increased with accumulation of Cd; however, the MT concentration did not increase enough to prevent Cd transport to the fetus. On the other hand, it was considered that more Cd was transported as the chemical form of nonMT-Cd from mother rat, and accumulated in the liver rather than kidney of the fetus. Based on analyses of the Cd distribution in the liver and kidney of newborn rats, we speculate that MT in the uterus and placenta does not play a significant role in preventing Cd transport through the placenta from the uterus to the fetus.