Prenatal double-hit with aluminium and cadmium mediate testicular atrophy and hypothalamic hypoplasia: the role of oxido-nitrergic stress and endocrine perturbations.

There is limited experimental evidence on the biochemical consequences of aluminium (Al) and cadmium (Cd) co-exposures during pregnancy and postnatal life.This study investigated the impacts of perinatal Al chloride (AlCl3) and Cd chloride (CdCl2) co-exposures on neuroendocrine functions in mice offspring during postnatal life. The study comprised of four pregnant experimental groups. Group 1 received AlCl3 (10 mg/kg), group 2 were administered CdCl2 (1.5 mg/kg), while group 3 received both AlCl3 (10 mg/kg) and CdCl2 (1.5 mg/kg) (AlCl3+CdCl2), and group 4 received saline (10 mL/kg) only and served as control group. All experimental animals were chemically exposed once daily from gestation days 7-20. Upon delivery, male pups were regrouped based on maternal chemical exposure on postnatal day 21 (PND 21) and allowed to grow to adulthood until PND 78, after which they were sacrificed for assessment of neuroendocrine markers and histological investigations. There was no statistical significance (p > 0.05) on follicle stimulating hormone, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroxine (T4) in all treatment groups relative to controls|. However, AlCl3 and AlCl3-CdCl2 significantly (p < 0.05) reduced triiodothyronine (T3) levels, with a profound increase in T3:T4 ratio by AlCl3, and AlCl3+CdCl2 compared to control. Furthermore, pups from pregnant mice treated with CdCl2 and AlCl3+CdCl2 demonstrated increased testicular malondialdehyde concentration with increased catalase activity relative to controls, suggesting oxidative imbalance. In addition, AlCl3, CdCl2, and AlCl3+CdCl2 exposures induced testicular and hypothalamic architectural disruption compared to controls, with marked architectural derangement in the AlCl3+CdCl2 group. Our findings suggest that prenatal co-exposures to Alcl3 and CdCl2 induce testicular and hypothalamic alterations in offspring via a testicular oxidative stress and thyrotoxicosis-dependent mechanisms.

Exposure to Nickel-Cadmium Contamination of Drinking Water Culminates in Liver Cirrhosis, Renal Azotemia, and Metabolic Stress in Rats.

Drinking water polluted by heavy metals has the potential to expose delicate biological systems to a range of health issues. This study embraced the health risks that may arise from subchronic exposure of thirty-four male Wistar rats to nickel (Ni)-cadmium (Cd)-contaminated water. It was done by using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) with three treatment factors (Ni and Cd doses at 50-150 mg/L and exposure at 14-21-28 days) at a single alpha level, resulting in seventeen experimental combinations. Responses such as serum creatinine (CREA) level, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level, BUN/CREA ratio (BCR), aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST and ALT) activities, and the De Ritis ratio (DRR), as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) level, catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, were evaluated. The results revealed that these pollutants jointly caused hepatocellular damage by raising AST and ALT activities and renal dysfunction by increasing CREA and BUN levels in Wistar rats' sera (p < 0.05). These outcomes were further supported by BCR and DRR values beyond 1. In rats' hepatocytes and renal tissues, synergistic interactions of these metals resulted in higher MDA levels and significant impairments of CAT and SOD activities (p < 0.05). In order to accurately forecast the effects on the responses, the study generated seven acceptable regression models (p < 0.05) with r-squared values of > 80% at no discernible lack of fit (p > 0.05). The findings hereby demonstrated that Wistar rats exposed to these pollutants at varied doses had increased risks of developing liver cirrhosis and azotemia marked by metabolic stress.

Influence of farmyard manure on some morphological and biochemical parameters of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seedling grown in cadmium-treated soil.

The present study aims to assess the effects of the two kinds of farmyard manure (poultry and pig manures) as amendments for soil on cadmium (Cd) toxicity in plants using cowpea seedlings as plant model. Cd toxicity was evaluated by assessing the effect of the metal on the growth rate and antioxidant status as well as the ability of the plant to metabolise xenobiotic. There was a significantly (p < 0.05) increased concentration of Cd in the root, stem and leaves of cowpea seedlings grown in all the treated soils relative to control. Addition of poultry manure to the soil significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the level of Cd in these component parts of the seedlings and their corresponding bioaccumulation factor in a dose-dependent manner as compared with treatments with Cd pollution without manure addition and Cd pollution with pig manure addition. There was restoration of Cd-induced effect on growth rate parameters to levels comparable to controls in cowpea seedlings grown in Cd-treated soil augmented with poultry manure but not in cowpea seedlings in cadmium-treated soil with pig manure amendments. Similarly, augmentation of Cd-treated soil with pig manure did not alter the Cd-induced effect on the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in leaf, stem and roots, as SOD remained significantly (p < 0.05) decreased and LPO increased relative to control. On the other hand, the levels of SOD and LPO in these parts of cowpea seedlings grown in Cd-treated soils amended with poultry manure were restored to a level not significantly (p > 0.05) different from control. Like in the case of SOD, the Cd-induced inhibition of the activity of xenobiotic metabolising enzymes, aldehyde oxidase and sulphite oxidase remained significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in the organs of seedling grown in Cd-treated soil amended with pig manure. Conversely, the Cd-induced effect on the activities of these enzymes was reversed in the organs of seedlings exposed to Cd and poultry manure as it was not significantly (p > 0.05) different from control. In conclusion, the findings of the study revealed that supplementation of Cd-treated soils with pig and poultry manures reversed effects of Cd on cowpea seedlings. However, poultry manure was more effective than pig manure in ameliorating the effects of Cd.