PMC

Following Cd exposure, adipose, pancreatic, and liver tissues along with the adrenal gland, become injured leading to altered glucose metabolism and/or glucose uptake that ultimately results in increased blood glucose. Elevated blood glucose levels coupled with the direct effects of Cd on renal tissue eventually leads to kidney dysfunction and damage.

Animals were treated with Cd (0.6 mg/kg/day, 5 days a week for 12 weeks). Weekly, 24 h fasting blood glucose values were measured using an Equaline brand blood glucose meter with disposable test strips. Values are mean ± SE. An asterisk (*) denotes significant differences from week matched control mean values (two-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey’s test, p ≤ 0.05, n = 3-6 for each data point).

Animals were treated with Cd (0.6 mg/kg/day, 5 days a week). After 12 weeks of Cd treatment approximately 100mg of fresh pancreas was removed from each animal and placed in 6 ml of 10 % formalin (Fisher Sci. cat. # SF98-4) for fixation. Weeks later, the tissue was sent to a contract lab (AML Laboratories, Baltimore, MD) where it was, embedded in paraffin, then sectioned to a thickness of 5μm, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. H&E stained sections were viewed under standard bright field illumination. Digital images of representative sections were captured with a Spot digital camera (Diagnostic Instruments, Sterling Heights, MI, USA) using the Image-Pro Plus software package (Media Cybernetics, Silver Spring, MD, USA) as described by Edwards et al., (2007). Low magnification images (10X objective) showed individual islets of Langerhans within the pancreatic tissue (white arrows) from saline control animals (A) and Cd-treated animals (B). Higher magnification images (40X objective) showed cells within the islets of Langerhans from saline-control (C) and Cd-treated animals (D). Red blood cells (black arrows) may be seen in the islets of Langerhans from 12 week Cd-treated animals (D). Acinar cells are located adjacent to the islets of Langerhans are denoted by black circles.