Cd induces apoptosis in cerebral cortical neurons.

<p>(A) Morphological alterations in cerebral cortical neurons treated with different concentrations of Cd (0, 5, 10 and 20 µM) for 24 h. Cell morphology was assessed using a LEICA inverted phase-contrast microscope (400×) equipped with Quick Imaging system. All experiments were performed in duplicate. (B) Cell viability of cerebral cortical neurons, treated with 0–25 µM Cd for 12 and 24 h, was evaluated by MTT assay. Results are presented as mean ± SD (n = 6). *Statistical significance between control and Cd treatment (2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 25 µM); *<i>P</i><0.05, **<i>P</i><0.01 compared to respective control, using Student’s t-test. (C) Cd induced apoptotic morphological changes in cerebral cortical neurons. Cerebral cortical neurons were incubated with 0–20 µM Cd for 24 h, stained with Hoechst 33258. Cell morphology was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy (arrows, apoptotic cells). The original magnification is 400×. All experiments were performed in duplicate.