Strain differences in toxicity of oral cadmium intake in rats

- Strain differences in the toxicity of oral cadmium intake were examined in AO and DA rats.
- There were no strain differences in the gut or draining lymph nodes cadmium levels.
- Lack of/low activity of the intestine and lymph nodes of AO rats was observed.
- DA rats reacted in more pronounced manner despite similar (to AO) spleen cadmium burden.
- Genetic background influences oral cadmium toxicity both locally and systemically.

Influence of genetic background on toxicity of oral cadmium (Cd) administration (30 days, in drinking water; 5 ppm and 50 ppm of cadmium) was examined in Albino Oxford (AO) and Dark Agouti (DA) rats. Similar cadmium deposition was noted in gut and draining mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of both strains but intensity and/or the pattern of responses to cadmium in these tissues differ. Less intense intestinal damage and leukocyte infiltration was observed in gut of cadmium-exposed AO rats. While gut-associated lymph node cells of DA rats responded to cadmium with an increase of cell proliferation, oxidative activity, IFN-γ, IL-17 production and expression, no changes of these activities of MLN cells of cadmium-treated AO rats were observed. Spleen, which accumulated cadmium comparable to MLN, responded to metal by drop in cell viability and by reduced responsiveness of proliferation and cytokine production to stimulation in DA rats solely, which suggest tissue dependence of cadmium effects. More pronounced cadmium effects on MLN and spleen cells of DA rats (which accumulated similar cadmium doses as AO rats), showed greater susceptibility of this strain to cadmium. The results presented, for the first time, depict the influence of genetic background to effects of oral cadmium administration.