Pathological study on beagles after long-term oral administration of cadmium

Histopathological, histochemical, and electron microscopic examinations were performed on beagles after a long-term oral cadmium (Cd) administration of greater than 8 years. Although renal atrophy was remarkable in groups receiving doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight/day, bone lesions could not be demonstrated by roentgenological and histopathologic examination. It was noticed that concomitant regeneration or recovery and cell death of the epithelium occurred in the proximal convoluted tubules. The cell death was consistent with apoptosis, a special feature of cell death, which was shown to play a major part in the tubular damage of cadmium by electron microscopic examination. Fatty degeneration of the pars recta tubules was seen to show dose-dependence. The intrarenal cadmium was localized predominantly in the cytoplasm of the proximal tubular epithelium by histochemical and ultracentrifugal cell fractionation examinations. Although no remarkable changes were found in the other organs, aggregates of siderophages in the liver and focal hemorrhage in the spleen, known as spontaneous lesions, might be related to Cd intoxication. In conclusion, the present study revealed that no bone lesions occur with Cd administration in adult beagles in spite of long-term administration. An excessive cell death to regeneration or recovery in the proximal tubules might result in the renal cortical atrophy. No remarkable changes were seen in the glomeruli and distal nephrons, which were in good agreement with Cd distribution.