[Heavy metal pattern in the liver of Wistar rats in experimental chronic cadmium poisoning]

Male young and adult Wistar-rats were used to investigate the heavy metal pattern of the liver after application of CdCl2 (dosage: 50 ppm or 150 ppm) solved in the drinking-water. The duration of the experiment was 1, 3, 6, or 12 month. Under these conditions, an increasing accumulation of heavy metal storages in the liver was obtained. The most conspicuous structure of the normal heavy metal pattern is a fine network of heavy metal storages accompanying the bile capillaries. The stellate cells (Kupffer) react positive too. Under cadmium poisoning mainly quantitative changes of this ground pattern was obtained. Additional small little storages may be scattered in the nuclei and in other regions of the liver cells. There are storages in the epithelium of small bile ducts and in the inner and the middle layer of blood vessels too. The increase of storages was medium in the first 3 month of the experiment. Fast storages were obtained after 6 and 12 month.