Protective effect of sodium molybdate against the acute toxicity of cadmium chloride

Pretreatment of rats with Na2MoO4 (1.24 mmol/kg, once a day for 3 days, i.p.) partially protected them against the acute toxicity of CdCl2 (0.075 mmol/kg, once, s.c., 24 h after pretreatment with Na2MoO4). The survival number of rats per total number of rats in the CdCl2-dosed group was 10/10, 8/10, 6/10, 2/10 and 0/10 on 0, 1, 2, 6 and 18 days after treatment with CdCl2 whereas in the group where CdCl2 is given after pretreatment with Na2MoO4 it is 10/10 and 6/10 on 0 and 18 days. The body weight of CdCl2-dosed rats consistently decreased until their death while that of Na2MoO4-CdCl2-dosed rats similarly decreased up to 4 days after exposure to CdCl2 but then increased almost normally. In order to elucidate the mechanism of protective action of Na2MoO4 against the acute toxicity of CdCl2, cellular components such as DNA, inorganic cations and metallothionein were measured in the liver after exposure to CdCl2. The treatment with CdCl2 alone reduced K content and increased Ca content but pretreatment with Na2MoO4 prevented such alterations in the levels of those cations caused by CdCl2. Metallothionein content in the liver was significantly elevated in the CdCl2-treated groups as compared to saline controls although the protein content was higher in the Na2MoO4-CdCl2-dosed group than in the CdCl2-dosed group. There was no difference in the protein content of the liver between saline controls and the Na2MoO4-dosed group. This suggests that Na2MoO4 alleviated the acute toxicity of CdCl2 in the rat and the protective mechanism by the metal is in part related to the enhancement of liver Cd-metallothionein induction.