Effect of Chronic Intoxication with Cadmium on the Level of Metallothionein in the Rat Hippocampus

Abstract

Long-lasting intoxication with cadmium induced by inhalation of 0.1% CdCl 2 dispersed in air (19 weeks, twice a week, 1-h-long sessions) resulted in differentiated changes in the level of metallothionein I + II (MT I + II) in different structures of the rat brain. A most dramatic (more than fourfold) drop in the content of MT I + II was observed in the hippocampus, while in the cerebral cortex the respective decrease was less than twofold, and the levels of MT I + II did not significantly change in the cerebellum and thalamus/ hypothalamus. These data allow us to believe that reduction of MT-dependent defensive mechanisms in the hippocampus is one of the most important neurological consequences of long-lasting cadmium intoxication.