Protective effects of polydatin and grape seed extract in rats exposed to cadmium

The current study aimed to investigate the protective role of polydatin (PD) and grape seed extracts (GSEs) against the effects of cadmium chlorine (CD) application in the rats. Forty-nine adult Wistar albino male rats were used in the study. Rats were assigned into control (saline), CD (5 mg/kg CdCI₂), PD (120 mg/kg PD), GSE (120 mg/kg GSE), CD + PD (5 mg/kg CdCI₂ + 120 mg/kg PD), CD + GSE (5 mg/kg CdCI₂ + 120 mg GSE), and CD + PD + GSE (5 mg/kg CdCI₂+120 mg/kg PD +120 mg/kg GSE) treatments (n = 7 per group). The treatments were administered orally for four weeks. CD accumulation was observed in all tissues studied except for the brain tissue. PD and GSE inhibited CD accumulation in erythrocytes and tissues at varying levels. The liver, kidney, brain, and testes showed extensive degenerative histopathological changes in CD group. Liver total oxidant status (TOS) in the CD group increased significantly compared to the control. TOS of kidney, brain, and testis suggested that PD and GSE did not show a strong antioxidant effect in these tissues. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in blood and liver raised significantly in CD-treated rats compared to controls. PD, GSE, and their combinations increased antioxidant potential in all tissues and decreased MDA levels in blood plasma and liver. Overall, the protective effects of PD were more effective than GSE. Results suggested that although the initiation of histopathological changes was present in all tissues, the initiating factor was not the oxidative stress in the tissues studied except for the liver and blood.