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Cadmium is a heavy metal of wide occupational and environmental contamination. In recent years, however, cadmium has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several clinical disorders. Generation of oxidative stress is one of the plausible mechanisms for cadmium-induced diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of ginger on oxidative stress in rats exposed to cadmium (Cd) of a dose (10 mg/kg b.w.). Ginger was administered orally (500 mg/kg b.w.). After 26 days, significant increases in methemoglobin% (metHb%), carboxyhemoglobin% (HbCO%), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and hemolysis% were observed in cadmium exposed rats compared to control group (P < 0.05), while glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) showed insignificant changes. Cadmium treatment of rats caused a significant decrease in oxyhemoglobin% (HbO 2 %) and total blood hemoglobin (Hb) concentration (P < 0.05). Ginger treatment of cadmium exposed rats significantly lowered metHb% (P < 0.05), while significantly increased HbO 2 % (P < 0.05) and total Hb concentration (P < 0.01), compared to cadmium alone group. Also ginger treatment significantly increased GPx and G6PD activities of cadmium exposed rats compared to cadmium alone group (P < 0.05). The treatment of Cdexposed animals with ginger lowered MDA concentration and hemolysis% by 20% and 17%, respectively. From these findings it can be concluded that ginger is a strong antioxidant plant that protects the blood of rats against the adverse harmful effects of cadmium chloride exposure as well as cadmium chloride-induced oxidative stress.

SummaryThe effect of clarithromycin on the induction of chromosome aberrations in mice bonemarrow, splenocyte cells and spermatocyte cells was investigated. Male Swiss mice were orally treated by gavage once with doses 50, 100, 200 and 300 mg kg Ϫ1 b.wt. A repeated daily dose of 50 mg kg Ϫ1 b.wt. was given for successive days. Clarithromycin induced chromosome aberrations in both bone-marrow and splenocyte cells. The percentage of chromosome aberrations was found to be statistically significant after single and repeated treatments. The percentage of chromosome aberrations in diakinesis-metaphase I spermatocytes increased in a dose dependent manner and was found to be statistically significant after 2 higher and repeated doses.The high doses of the antibiotic caused a significant increase in the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges in mice bone-marrow. Its highest values were 9.99Ϯ0.48/cell after treatment with high dose (300 mg kg Ϫ1 b.wt.) compared with 4.24Ϯ0.44/cell in the non treated mice.

SummaryThe cytogenetic effect of the herbicide alachlor was determined in cultured mouse spleen cells in vitro and in mouse somatic and germ cells in vivo. A dose dependent increase of chromosomal aberrations was observed in cultured mouse spleen cells after treatment with the concentrations 10 Ϫ7-10 Ϫ4 M alachlor/ml medium. The results of the present study reveal the genotoxicity of alachlor in the different mouse cells analyzed. This has to be taken in consideration when using this herbicide in agriculture.

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