Evidence for a synergistic interaction between cadmium and endotoxin toxicity and for nitric oxide and cadmium displacement of metals in the kidney

This study was undertaken to examine changes in Zn and Cu homeostasis in th e liver and kidney of rats caused by cadmium (Cd) or lipopolysaccharide (LP S) administration. Twenty-five male, 7- to 8-week-old Wistar rats were divi ded into five groups: saline only treatment, saline treatment and food depr ivation, exposure to a single dose of Cd, exposure to LPS alone, and exposu re to Cd + LPS. Changes in plasma nitrate concentrations and hepatic and re nal Zn and Cu contents were measured together with urinary excretion rates for the metals and nitrate on 3 consecutive days: 24 h before treatment and 24 and 48 h after treatments. Cd exposure alone for 48 h caused a nearly a -fold increase in plasma nitrate levels with no changes in urinary nitrate excretion whereas LPS treatment caused plasma nitrate levels to increase by 10-fold and urinary nitrate excretion to increase by 4-fold. Administratio n of LPS 24 h after Cd exposure caused a 10-fold increase in plasma nitrate concentrations and a 100-fold increase in urinary nitrate excretion compar ed to the rates prior to LPS administration. These results indicate a syner gistic interaction between Cd and LPS toxicity. Cd exposure also caused a m arked increase in hepatic Zn levels, but LPS did not cause any changes in h epatic Zn or Cu content. In sharp contrast, both Zn and Cu contents were de creased in the kidneys by 16 and 36% in animals exposed to Cd or LPS. A cor relation analysis of measured variables reveals that renal Cu contents were inversely associated with plasma nitrate concentrations while urinary Cu e xcretion on day 3 showed a strong positive correlation with both urinary ni trate and Cd excretions on the same day. A linear regression analysis shows 20% of the variation in urinary Cu excretion was associated with urinary C d excretion on the same day. It is concluded that reductions in renal Cu co ntents caused by Cd or LPS administration may be a result of Cd and NO disp lacement of Cu previously bound to metallothionein. (C) 2000 Academic Press .