RESUMO
Cadmium is a typical heavy metal quite dangerous to humans and animals. Zinc supplementation protects the biological system from Cd toxicity and alleviates Cd-induced toxicity. The present study was assessed to evaluate the preventive effects of zinc chloride (ZnCl2) on male mice with liver damage induced by cadmium chloride (CdCl2). Metals accumulation was quantified in the liver. Body weight, liver weight ratio, lipid peroxidation, caspase 3, and DNA damage were determined in the liver of male mice after receiving an intraperitoneal (IP) a single dose of CdCl2 at 1.5 and 3 mg/kg or/and ZnCl2 10 mg/kg during 21 days. The LD50 was 6.023 mg/kg for CdCl2 and 89.05 mg/kg for ZnCl2. The results indicate that mice in control and Zn groups gained body weight at the end of the experiment, while other treated groups significantly decreased. The relative weight of the liver revealed a significant increase in experimental groups. In addition, an increase in malondialdehyde level, Metallothionein concentration, and caspase-3 level was detected in Cd and Zn groups alone or in combination. Strand breaks of DNA of hepatocytes showed a significant increase in tail length of groups treated with cadmium. Co-treatment with zinc reduced these parameters compared to those measured in cells treated with cadmium. The outcome of this study implied that cadmium chloride causes oxidative stress, DNA damage, and elevated apoptosis markers in mice livers at low and medium doses. By pinpointing the target organ involved, the study results have also added some understanding of the impacts of zinc chloride injection to ameliorate cadmium toxicity in a low dose at 10 mg/kg.