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Effects of
vitamins C and E pretreatments on cadmium-induced serum
levels of some biochemical and hormonal parameters in the
female guinea pig
A. W. Obianime, N. J. Ahiwe and J. S.
Aprioku*
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical
Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State,
P.M.B. 5323, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author.
E-mail:
sydaprio@yahoo.com.
Tel: 234 (0) 8035082379.
Abbreviations:
ALP, Alkaline phosphatase; Cd, cadmium; Vit
C, vitamin C; Vit E, vitamin E; LH, luteinizing
hormone; FSH, follicle- stimulating hormone; ip,
intra-peritoneally; ROS, reactive oxygen species;
PKC, protein kinase C; ALP, alkaline phosphatase;
SEM, standard error of mean.
Accepted 20 August, 2010 |
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Cadmium is a widely
distributed environmental pollutant and toxicant. The
present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of
vitamins C and E on cadmium-induced serum levels of alkaline
phosphatase (ALP), urea, creatinine, progesterone, LH and
FSH in the female guinea pig. Animals were given single
doses of vitamins C (1.5 mg/kg) and E (50 mg/kg) per oral
and (0 - 8 mg Cd/kg ip) for 24 h. Animals were sacrificed
and the serum levels of the above parameters were measured.
Also, the effects of pretreatments with vitamins C and E on
Cd-induced serum levels of the parameters were determined.
Serum levels of all parameters were significantly (p ≤ 0.05)
decreased in a dose-dependent manner in vitamins-treated
animals, while they were increased in cadmium-treated
animals, compared to the control animals. Furthermore,
pretreatments with vitamins C, E and combination of both
vitamins reduced the cadmium-induced serum levels of all
parameters, which was most pronounced in animals pretreated
with a combination of both vitamins, especially on ALP and
progesterone levels. These results may be due to the
oxidative and anti-oxidative properties of cadmium and the
vitamins (C and E) respectively, acting through calcium and
protein kinase C signal transduction pathways.
Key words:
Antioxidants, cadmium, pretreatment and vitamins. |
