Modification of cadmium chloride embryotoxicity under conditions of combined administration with metal succinates
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The aim of the study was to determine the embryotoxicity of cadmium chloride under the conditions of its long-term isolated administration and in combination with zinc or iron succinates in an experiment on rats to assess the modifying effect of succinates on the embryotoxicity of cadmium. To determine the degree of embryotoxicity and calculate the types of embryonic mortality, the number of litters, the weight of fetuses, the number of corpora lutea in the ovaries of females, as well as live and resorbed embryos in the uterine horns of rats were analyzed. The effect of zinc and iron succinates on the level of embryotoxicity of cadmium chloride in rats with their simultaneous long-term daily intake into the body during pregnancy was experimentally evaluated. The results obtained by us demonstrate a significant increase in all indicators of embryonic mortality in the group of isolated exposure to cadmium chloride compared to the control group both on the 13th and 20th days of the experiment. It was established that isolated chronic exposure to cadmium chloride has a pronounced embryotoxic effect: on the 13th day of the experiment, which is manifested both by a significant decrease in the number of live fetuses compared to the control (p<0.05) and by a 4-fold increase in the indicator of total embryonic mortality against the background of active fetal resorption. At the end of the gestation period (20th day), the toxic pressure of cadmium in the studied dose reaches a maximum: the number of live fetuses critically decreases, and the indicator of total embryonic mortality exceeds the level of the control group by 10.7 times. Iron and zinc succinates exhibit pronounced protective properties as cadmium bioantagonists, significantly reducing the levels of embryonic death on both terms of gestation. On the 13th day, iron succinate reduces the total embryonic mortality by 2.8 times compared to the cadmium intoxication group, mainly due to preimplantation protection, and zinc succinate – by 2.9 times, bringing the indicators closer to the control. On the 20th day of gestation in the groups of combined administration with zinc and iron succinates, the level of total embryonic mortality decreases to 0.05±0.02 and 0.06±0.02, respectively. With regard to postimplantation mortality, both succinates demonstrate equally high protective efficacy. The nature and features of the stage-specific protective effect of iron succinate and zinc succinate compounds under conditions of antenatal cadmium chloride intoxication have been established for the first time.
Source: Medicni perspektivi
Authors: I.V. Shevchenko, O.O. Nefodova
Institution: Dnipro State Medical University
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223573311