engleski

Low iron diet and cadmium exposure disrupt steroidogenesis in the rat

The study was conducted on timed pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats fed semisynthetic pelleted laboratory diets with either high iron (240 ppm) or low iron (10 ppm) content. From gestation day one, the dams were exposed to cadmium (chloride) at dose 0, 3 or 5 mg/kg body weight by subcutaneously implanted osmotic pumps. On gestation day 19, the dams were exsanguinated by cardiac puncture in CO2 anaesthesia. Serum and ovarian and placental cutures were used for evaluation of steroid hormone production by specific radioimmunoassay. Data were statistically evaluated using analysis of variance. With low iron diet, dams' body weights, maternal and foetal haematocrits, and number of viable foetuses were decresed, and late resorptions were increased. All dams on low iron diet had reduced serum progesterone concentrations. No effect of either low iron diet or cadmium exposure was observed on ovarian steroid production. Low iron diet and cadmium effects on placental progesterone production were additive and linear with significant reduction in placental progesterone production at 5 mg/kg dose. With subchronic cadmium exposure, estradiol serum concentrations were decreased and the effect was linear. No cadmium effects were found on general health of the dams and/or fetal viability. The findings suggest that combined low iron diet and subchronic cadmium exposure may disrupt placental steroid production and the concentrations of circulating steroid hormones in late pregnancy.

cadmium ; estradiol ; iron deficiency ; placenta ; pregnancy ; progesterone ; female reproduction

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