Induction of Oxidative Stress by Acute Oral Exposure of Cadmium Chloride in Kidney of Adult Rat

Cadmium is a heavy metal, a well recognized environmental pollutant with numerous adverse health effects. Being widely used in industry, cadmium can affect human health through occupational and environmental exposure (Waisberg et al., 2003). The level of cadmium compounds in the environment have progressively increased as a consequence of industrial pollution which can be attributed to electroplating, stabilizers, pigments, plastics, semiconductors and batteries (Hisoyoshi et al., 1997). Another important source of cadmium to the atmosphere is cigarette (Akinloye et al., 2006). Cadmium compounds have been shown to exert toxic and carcinogenic effect in humans and experimental animals (Misra et al., 1998). Transition metals, act as a catalyst in the oxidative reaction of biological macromolecules, thus metal toxicities might be associated with oxidative tissue damage. Exposure of cadmium metal is known to induce the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) like superoxide radical, hydroxyl-ion and hydrogen-peroxide (Christopher et al., 2004). ROS may lead to cellular damage when the rate of its generation suppresses the rate of its decomposition by antioxidant defense system, such as catalase, superoxide-dismutase and glutathione-peroxidase (Mates et al., 1999; Datta et al., 2000). In the present study an attempt has been made to understand the dose related cadmium toxicity and induction of oxidative stress in the kidney of rats.