ETHANOL INHIBITS CADMIUM ACCUMULATION IN BRAINS OF OFFSPRING OF PREGNANT RATS THAT CONSUME CADMIUM

The present study was designed to test the effect of ethanol on cadmiu m accumulation in tissues of pregnant rats and their offspring. Starti ng 10 days before mating and continuing until parturition, ethanol (10 % v/v) was present in the drinking water of half the rats. Cadmium chl oride (CdCl2; 50 ppm) was present in the water of half the rats (+/- e thanol) from the first day after mating until parturition. On the day of parturition cadmium accumulated to a moderate level in bone (7.3 mu g/g tissue, wet weight; this and other values, P < 0.05 vs. control), liver (12.9 mu g/g) and kidney (13.0 mu g/g) of dams, while the brain had only a low level of cadmium (0.45 mu g/g). In offspring at 6 week s cadmium accumulated in high amounts in the brain (34.0 mu g/g), bone (15.9 mu g), kidney (78.2 mu g/g) and particularly the liver (227.3 m u g/g). Ethanol, given simultaneously with cadmium, inhibited cadmium accumulation in brain (1.8 mu g/g), bone (3.28 mu g/g) and kidney (61. 3 mu g/g), but enhanced cadmium accumulation in liver (408.7 mu g/g). At 12 weeks there were only residual levels of cadmium in all tissues of offspring. These findings demonstrate an interaction between 2 know n teratogenic agents, with ethanol conferring protection of the brain from cadmium accumulation. The nature of this interaction is not known , but is likely to be related to ethanol induction of metallothionein in the liver and placenta.