Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Assessment of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Reserve and Intracellular Diastolic Calcium Removal in Isolated Ventricular Cardiomyocytes
Published on: September 18, 2017
Protective effects of calcium antagonists on cadmium-induced toxicity in rats
Abstract:
Protective effects of calcium antagonists, chlorpromazine (CPZ) and nimodepine (NI-MO), on cadmium-induced toxicity were investigated. After giving CdCl2 (0.44 mg Cd/kg, i.p.), CPZ (5 mg/kg, i.p.) or NIMO (8 mg/kg, p.o.) were administered every day to Sprague-Dawley (S.D.) rats for a week. Then, urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), urinary cadmium and blood cadmium were measured. The accumulation of cadmium in the kidney cortex, content of renal calmodulin, hemoglobin and the ultrastructural damage of proximal convoluted tubules of rats were examined three weeks after the last administration. Results indicated that the calcium antagonists partly protected against toxic effects induced by cadmium in different manners. These data provide further evidence for the new hypothesis that the cross effect of cadmium and calcium in calmodulin regulated systems may be responsible for the mechanism of cadmium intoxication. The results suggested that the calcium antagonists could be a new and promising approach in the therapy of heavy metal-induced diseases.
Related Concept Videos
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
Hormones and Bone Tissue
Hormones That Influence Osteoblasts and/or Maintain the Matrix
Several hormones are necessary for controlling bone growth and maintaining the bone matrix. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), which, as its name implies, controls bone growth. This happens in several ways: first, it triggers chondrocyte...
Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT

