Cadmium effects on early development of chick embryos

The toxic potential of cadmium (Cd) is well-documented for young and adult vertebrates, but it is still poorly understood in the early stages of development. In this study, cadmium effects were investigated on Gallus gallus embryos after injection of CdCl2 (5 μM and 50 μM) within the egg air chamber, and incubation for 48 and 72 h. After exposure, morphological and enzymatic analyses for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were performed. Critical morphological abnormalities occurred after exposure to the highest concentration of cadmium, mainly in the cephalic region, indicating the powerful teratogenic effect of Cd to chick embryos. Cd exposure did not alter enzymatic activities when compared to the control group, but the levels of G6PDH activity were highest in older embryos at stage 19, indicating that antioxidant defenses are not so robust in the earliest embryo stages.

► We investigated cadmium effects in the early stages of chick embryos.
► Changes in morphology and antioxidant enzymatic activities were analyzed.
► Cadmium exposure showed morphological abnormalities, mainly in the cephalic region.
► Cadmium can be a powerful teratogenic to chick embryos.