Short- and long-term cadmium distribution in rat livers after different routes of administration

Intracellular hepatic distribution of cadmium in male Wistar rats were determined after various time intervals up to 6 months following a single intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride (3.75 mg/kg). After an initial liver accumulation period of approximately 2 weeks, cadmium was slowly eliminated. This decrease occurred primarily in the soluble fraction, but also to a lesser extent in the nuclear and mitochondrial fractions. No detectable decrease of cadmium was observed in the microsomal fraction. There was no apparent redistribution of cadmium within these hepatic fractions during the 6-month period of study. A comparison of the intracellular cadmium distribution following administration by intraperitoneal, oral, and pulmonary routes revealed that in each instance the soluble fraction contained the greatest amount of this element by far with decreasing amounts in the microsomes, mitochondria, and nuclei in that order.