1 Three consecutive generations of Wistar rats were orally treated by gavage with 3.5, 7.0 or 14.0 mg/kg cadmium (in form of cadmium chloride diluted in distilled water) over the period of pregnancy, lactation and 8 weeks after weaning.
2 Behavioural (open field behaviour) and electrophysio logical (spontaneous and evoked cortical activity, etc.) parameters of male rats from each generation were investigated at the age of 12 weeks.
3 The main behavioural outcomes were change in vertical exploration activity (rearing) and increased exploration of an open field centre. The spontaneous and evoked electrophysiological variables showed dose- and generation-dependent changes (increased frequencies in the electrocorticogram, lengthened latency and duration of evoked potentials, etc.) signalling a change in neural functions.
4 The data show that low-level, multigeneration expo sure to inorganic cadmium can affect functions of the nervous system. This suggests that cadmium exposed human populations may be at risk of developing nervous system disorders.
Sharrett AR, Carter AP, Orheim RM, Fenlein TMDaily intake of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc from drinking-water: the Seattle study of trace metal exposure. Environ Res1983; 28: 456-475.
2.
Buchet JP et al. Oral daily intake of cadmium, lead, manganese, copper, chromium, mercury, calcium, zinc, and arsenic in Belgium: a duplicate meal study. Food Chem Toxicol1983; 21: 19-24.
3.
Wolnik KA et al. Elements in major raw agricultural crops in the United States. I. Cadmium and lead, and eleven other elements in carrots, field corn onion, rice, spinach, and tomatoes. J Agric Food Chem1985; 33: 807-811.
4.
Schumann K.The toxicological estimation of the heavy metal content (Cd, Hg, Pb) in food for infants and small children. Z Ernahrungswiss1990; 29: 54-73.
5.
Ewers U. et al. Heavy metal pollution of soil and garden products of Stolberg home gardens and lead and cadmium pollution of small farms in Stolberg. Gesundheitswesen1993; 55: 318-325.
6.
Smigiel D.Accumulation of heavy metals (Pb, Cd) in selected varieties of vegetables . Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig1994; 45: 279-284.
7.
Muller M., Anke M.Distribution of cadmium in the food chain (soil-plant-human) of a cadmium exposed area and the health risks of the general population. Sci Total Environ1994; 156: 151-158.
8.
Muskett CJ, Roberts LH, Page BJCadmium and lead pollution from secondary metal refinery operation. Sci Total Environ1973; 11: 73-87.
9.
Elinder CG et al. Cadmium exposure from smoking cigarettes: variations with time and country where purchased. Environmn Res1983; 32: 220-227.
10.
WHO: Cadmium. Environmental Health Criteria N° 134, Geneva, 1994.
11.
Vataev SI, Malgina NA, Oganesian GAThe effect of cadmium on the structure of the circadian cycle of waking-sleep and on the EEG in Wistar Rats. Zh Evol Biokhim Fiziol'1994; 30: 408-419.
12.
Calabresi P. , Mercuri NB, Stefani A., Bernardi G.Synaptic and intrinsic control of membrane excitability of neostriatal neurons. I. An in vivo analysis. J Neurophysiol1991; 63: 651-662.
13.
Soliakov L. , Wonnacott S.Voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels involved in nicotinic receptor-mediated [3H]dopamine release from rat striatal synaptosomes . J Neurochem1996; 67: 163-170.
14.
Dési I., Nagymajtényi L., Schultz H.Behavioral and functional neurotoxicological changes caused by subchronic cadmium treatment. Toxicology Submitted for publication.
15.
Bowman WC, Rans MJ. (Eds.): Textbook of Pharmacology, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, 1980, p. 715.
16.
Zilles K.The cortex of the rat. A stereotaxic atlas. Springer Verlag , Berlin-Heidelberg- New York-Tokyo, 1982.
17.
Dési I.Neurological investigation of pesticides in animal experiments. Neurobehav Toxicol Teratol1983; 5: 503-517.
18.
Miyoshi T., Goto I.Serial in vivo determinations of nerve conduction velocity in rat tails. Physiological and pathological changes. Electroenceph Clin Neurophysiol1973; 35: 125-131.
19.
Anda E., Dura G., Lörinczy I.Effects of carbon monoxide on the peripheral nerves. (In Hungarian) Egészségtudomàny1984; 28: 270-277.
20.
Wier PJ, Miller RK, Maulik D., DiSant'Agnese PA. Toxicity of cadmium in the perfused human placenta . Toxicol Appl Pharmacol1990; 105: 156-171.
21.
Goyer RA, Cherian MGRole of metallothionein in human placenta and rats exposed to cadmium . IARC Sci Publ1992; 118: 239-247.
22.
Gupta A., Gupta A., Shukla GSDevelopment of brain free radical scavenging system and lipid peroxidation under the influence of gestational and lactational cadmium exposure. Hum Exp Toxicol1995; 14: 428-436.
23.
Chen B., Hales BFCadmium-induced rat embryotoxicity in vitro is associated with an increase abundance of E-cadherin protein in the yolk sac. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol1994; 128: 293-301.
24.
Peters JM, Duncan JR, Wiley LM, Keen CLInfluence of antioxidants on cadmium toxicity of mouse preimplantation embryos in vitro. Toxicology1995; 99: 11-18.
25.
Frery N. et al. Environmental exposure to cadmium and human birthweight. Toxicology1993; 79: 109-118.
26.
Hallen IP, Jorhem L., Lagerkvist BJ, Oskarsson A.Lead and cadmium levels in human milk and blood. Toxicology Sci Total Environ1995; 166: 149-155.
27.
Clark DE et al. The regional distribution of cadmium in the brains of orally exposed adult rats. Neurotoxicology1985; 6: 109-114.
28.
Nishimura N. , Nishimura H., Ghaffar A., Tohyama C.Localization of metallothionein in the brain of rat and mouse. J Histochem Cytochem1994 ; 40: 309-315.
29.
Casali TA, Gomez RS, Moraes-Santos T., Gomez MVDifferential effects of calcium channel antagonists on tityustoxin and ouabain-induced release of [3H]acetyl-choline from brain cortical slices . Neuropharmacology1995; 34: 599-603.
30.
Cokugras R. , Tezcan T.Inhibition kinetics of brain butyrylcholinesterase by Cd2+ and Zn2+, Ca2+ or Mg2+ reactivates the inhibited enzyme. Int J Biochem1993; 25: 1115-1120.
31.
Desole MS et al. Cadmium-induced changes in the activity of the dopaminergic and purinergic systems and in ascorbic acid catabolism in the rat striatum . Clin Ter1991; 137: 229-234.
32.
Scheer L., Lavoie F.Mechanism of aminopyridine-induced release of [3H]dopamine from rat brain synaptosomes. Gen Pharmacol1991; 22: 169-172.
33.
Kennedy RT, Jones SR, Wightman RMSimultaneous measurement of oxygen and dopamine: coupling of oxygen consumption and neurotransmission. Neuroscience1992; 47: 603-612.
34.
Kanthasamy AG, Isom GE, Borowitz JLRole of intracellular Cd2+ in catecholamine release and lethality in PC12 cells. Toxicol Lett1995; 81: 151-158.
35.
Stjarne L., Stjarne E., Msghina M., Bao JXK+ and Ca2+ channel blockers may enhance or depress sympathetic transmitter release via a Ca2+dependent mechanism 'upstream' of the release site. Neuroscience1991; 44: 673-692.
