Effects of inhalation of cadmium on the rat olfactory system: behavior and morphology

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hastings L ; Miller ML ; Sun J
• Description:
  The effects of cadmium (7440439) on the olfactory system were studied in rats. Adult male Long-Evans-rats whose olfactory thresholds had been previously determined using a conditioned suppression paradigm utilizing ethyl-acetate as the odorant and footshock as the aversive stimulus inhaled cadmium-oxide (1306190) aerosols at nominal concentrations of 0, 250, or 500 micrograms per cubic meter 5 hours daily 5 days a week for up to 20 weeks (wk) in two experiments. The effects of cadmium on olfaction were assessed by remeasuring the odor thresholds after 5, 10, 15, or 20wk of exposure. To evaluate a possible delayed effect of cadmium on olfaction some rats were tested for their ability to find buried food immediately and 6 months (mo) after exposure ended in the second experiment. Selected rats were euthanized after 5, 10, 15, or 20wk of exposure and the olfactory bulb and epithelium, heart, lungs, brain, and kidneys were analyzed for cadmium in experiment one. These tissues were examined for histopathological changes in the second experiment. Cadmium did not induce anosmia or alter the olfactory thresholds in any experiment. All tested rats were able to find the buried food within 1 minute 6mo after cadmium exposure ended. Cadmium accumulated in all tissues in a dose dependent manner and in the olfactory bulb and kidneys in a time dependent manner as well. Cadmium did not cause any histopathological changes in the olfactory and nasal tissues. Cadmium induced mild tubular degeneration in the kidneys, slight fibrotic changes in the walls of terminal bronchioles in the lungs, and moderate to pronounced degenerative cardiomyopathy in the heart. The authors conclude that cadmium does not appear to cause olfactory damage in rats despite its accumulating in the olfactory system. The failure of cadmium to cause olfactory dysfunction could reflect the protective effects of metallothionein, which is induced in cadmium exposed tissues, or the highly resilient nature of the rodent olfactory system. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Cadmium Laboratories Nervous System Nose Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety Sense Organs
• Keywords:
  Behavioral-testing Cadmium-compounds Dose-response Histopathology In-vivo-studies Inhalation-studies Laboratory-animals Nasal-cavity Neurotoxic-effects Neurotoxicity Odor-threshold Tissue-distribution

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• ISSN:
  0892-0362
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  89-98
• Volume:
  18
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00233107
• Citation:
  Neurotoxicol Teratol 1996 Jan; 18(1):89-98
• Contact Point Address:
  Environmental Health University of Cincinnati 3223 Eden Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45267
• CAS Registry Number:
  Cadmium (CAS RN 7440-43-9) ; Cadmium oxide (CAS RN 1306-19-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1996
• NORA Priority Area:
  Neurotoxic Disorders ; Neurotoxic Effects
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19840928
• Source Full Name:
  Neurotoxicology and Teratology
• End Date:
  19860831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:16d20a9832b7deacda032dae4059e2b7cc1d8d18cf4a43581a691fd50fa1a471a80c545809e6b02508148582c88b7b19cfb5ada4cae359419e95a4210622e7a7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204556/cdc_204556_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.25 MB ]