Abstract
The present study aims to investigate the ability of CaNa2EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) macroparticles and nanoparticles to treat cadmium-induced toxicity in female rats and to compare their efficacies. Forty rats were divided into 4 equal groups: control, cadmium, cadmium + CaNa(2)EDTA macroparticles and Cd + CaNa(2)EDTA nanoparticles. Cadmium was added to the drinking water in a concentration of 30 ppm for 10 weeks. CaNa(2)EDTA macroparticles and nanoparticles (50 mg/kg) were intraperitoneally injected during the last 4 weeks of the exposure period. Every two weeks, blood and urine samples were collected for determination of urea, creatinine, metallothionein and cadmium concentrations. At the end of the experiment, the skeleton of rats was examined by X-ray and tissue samples from the kidney and femur bone were collected and subjected to histopathological examination. Exposure to cadmium increased the concentrations of urea and creatinine in the serum and the concentrations of metallothionein and cadmium in serum and urine of rats. A decrease in bone mineralization by X-ray examination in addition to various histopathological alterations in the kidney and femur bone of Cd-intoxicated rats were also observed. Treatment with both CaNa(2)EDTA macroparticles and nanoparticles ameliorated the toxic effects induced by cadmium on the kidney and bone. However, CaNa(2)EDTA nanoparticles showed a superior efficacy compared to the macroparticles and therefore can be used as an effective chelating antidote for treatment of cadmium toxicity.