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Cadmium's Hidden Harm: How Different Doses and Delivery Methods Affect Rats

Thursday, March 27, 2025
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Cadmium is a sneaky pollutant that sticks around and causes trouble for living things. It's everywhere, and it's not going away anytime soon. Scientists are trying to figure out just how dangerous it can be. They looked at how different amounts and ways of getting cadmium into the body affect rats. Three groups of rats got a single dose of cadmium chloride. One group got it by mouth at two different amounts. Another group got it injected into their belly at a single amount. There was also a control group that didn't get any cadmium. The rats that got the highest oral dose had fewer white blood cells and fewer granulocytes, which are a type of white blood cell. The rats that got the lower oral dose and the injected dose had fewer platelets, which help blood clot. The highest oral dose also led to a drop in red blood cells. The injected dose changed the red blood cell count in a different way. So, the way cadmium is given can affect the blood in different ways. The kidneys and inflammation were also affected. The lower oral dose had an impact on kidney markers. The injected dose was linked to higher levels of an inflammatory marker. All the rats that got cadmium had higher levels of markers for oxidative stress and membrane damage. This means that cadmium can cause a lot of stress on the body's cells. The liver and bone marrow also took a hit. The liver cells changed in all the rats that got cadmium, with the biggest changes in the injected group. The oral doses led to bone marrow hypoplasia, which means the bone marrow didn't produce enough new cells. The injected dose led to other changes in the bone marrow, like an increase in certain types of immature cells. So, cadmium can cause some serious problems in the body. The way it's given can make a big difference in how it affects the blood, tissues, and organs. It's important to keep studying how this pollutant affects living things, so we can better protect ourselves from its hidden harm.

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