skeletal and external teratogenic effects of cadmium during gestation in rats

the teratogenicity of cadmium exposure was studied in virgin nimri rats aged 10-13 weeks. pregnant animals were fed cadmium sulfate equivalent to doses of 1,4 and 7 mg/kg/day of cadmium by oral gavage on the day 7 of gestation. on the day 18 of gestation, fetuses were delivered and examined for external and skeletal malformations. total percent of malformed fetuses in rats treated by different doses of cadmium were significantly higher than of control group. in this study the length of arm, big diameter of chest, big diameter of pelvis, length of femur, length of tibia, length between crown to sacrum, large diameter of skull and length between crown to bottom were examined. the appearance of total skeletal malformation in treated groups started by dose of 1 mg/kg/day of cadmium (p<0.05) excluded by length of arm, big diameter of chest and big dimeter of pelvis- growth retardation was also observed significantly in all doses of cadmium treatment. regression analysis showed a significant relationship between rate of tola! malformations and doses of cadmium (r=0.97); and between growth retardation and doses of cadmium (r2=0.99). the most toxicity of cadmium on length of skeletons appeared in tibia and the lowest one was in arm. of width skeletons, the highest toxic effect of cadmium was on big diameter of pelvis and the lowest was on big diameter of chest. in total toxicity of cadmium was observed most frequently on the lower limbs. in the external malformation category, only cleft palate and open eyelid were observed in live fetuses.