Toxicity of cadmium on hepatic and myocardial cells

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal, a prevalent environmental containment, which can harm many organs af­ter environmental exposure and has been linked to many disorders, diseases and carcinogenesis in human. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ultrastructural alterations of mice myocardial and liver cells induced by exposure to Cd. Exposure of cells to Cd leads to significant transmutations of the cellular structures. The ultrastructural changes were investigated in all of the above mentioned cells after 4 weeks at a dose corresponding to human environmental exposure of Cd. In Cd induced group, ultrastructural alterations included formation of intracellular vacuoeles and significant disruption of the outer membrane of the mitochondria. Many transformations in cellular structures are in a casual relationship with the increased oxidative stress, aberrant gene expression and inhibition of cell apoptosis of the exposed cells. The evidence of the ultrastructural alterations in our observed Cd group indicates that the exposure plays a central role in the disturbance of organ’s homeostasis and damages of cellular structure