Investigation of sensitive biomarkers to determine cadmium inducing hepato- and nephro-toxicity in cattle by immunofluorescence method.

Abstract

Cadmium inducing hepato- and nephro-toxicity can cause the alteration of protein expression such as metallothionein (MT), i.e. cadmium binding protein, and the metal transcription factor-1 (MTF-1), which plays a significant role in cellular responses to the heavy metal stress. To study the expression of these proteins, the cattle were classified into five groups resulting from the levels of cadmium in the kidneys. Next, the blood biochemical profiles were analyzed to estimate the liver and kidney functions. The expressions of MT and MTF-1 proteins both in the liver and kidneys were investigated by immunofluorescence method. This study found that the blood biochemical profiles were not correlated with the level of cadmium in these tissues; however, the expressions of MT and MTF-1 proteins were earlier detected in the bovine which had a low level of cadmium contamination (0.5 mg/kg). Thus, these proteins could be used as the sensitive markers to determine the cadmium in tissue.