Abstract
Due to the ease of absorption, accumulation in tissues, and extremely long biological half-life in the body, cadmium is considered one of the most hazardous heavy metals. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of in ovo injection of cadmium on chicken embryo heart. A total of 160 chicken hatching eggs were used in the study. On day 4 of incubation, eggs from the experimental groups were injected with cadmium at a dose of 1 and 5 µg/egg and the incubation was prolonged to 21 day until hatching. Cadmium was found to slow the heart rate and reduce heart weight. In embryos exposed to 5 µg of cadmium, the histological analysis and aminotransferases concentration confirmed the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the heart muscle. Key words: Cadmium, heart, chicken embryo, cardiotoxicity.
Highlights
Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal whose divalent cations are absorbed and accumulated in plant and animal tissues (Satarug et al, 2003)
Comparison of the heart rate in different groups showed that it was always lower in embryos exposed to cadmium than in embryos from the control and sham groups
Differences in the heart rate between the group exposed to 1 μg of Cd and Groups I and II were statistically significant (p≤0.05) between 17 and 21 days of incubation (Table 1)
Summary
Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal whose divalent cations are absorbed and accumulated in plant and animal tissues (Satarug et al, 2003). Exposure to cadmium occurs as a result of atmospheric emission during Cd production and processing, from combustion of fossil energy sources, waste and sludge, phosphate fertilizers, and deposition of waste and slag in at disposal sites (Satarug et al, 2003). The main source of cadmium exposure for nonoccupational population is food and tobacco smoking (EFSA, 2009). Higher concentrations are found in the kidneys of animals slaughtered for food, in wild mushrooms, and in seafood such as mussels and oysters (EFSA, 2009). The average cadmium intake from food generally varies between 8 and 25 μg per day (Jarüp and Äkesson, 2009)
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