Effect of intraperitoneally injected cadmium on renal and hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes in rats

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with 0, 0.25, 0.75 and 1.25 mg/kg/day for 14 days. At the end of 7 and 14 days treatment period, body weight gain, serum protein, serum glucose, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) were measured. Glucose-6-phosphatase (G6-Pase), fructose-1, 6-di-phosphatase (FD-Pase), phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and pyruvate carboxylase (PC) in kidney and liver were determined. A significant decrease in body weight gain in rats treated with 1.25 mg cadmium for 7 and 14 days was observed. Serum glucose, serum protein, SGOT and SGPT were increased in cadmium treated rats. A significant increase in all four key gluconeogenic enzymes were observed in both kidney and liver tissues of rats treated with cadmium. The results of this study suggest that cadmium induces gluconeogenesis which is dose and time dependent.