Treatment of An Acute Severe Cadmium Poisoning Patient Combined with Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndromes by Integrated Chinese and Western Medicines: A Case Report

Tempol mitigates inflammation, oxidative stress, and histopathological alterations of cadmium-induced parotid gland injury in rats

Cadmium (Cd) is a potent environmental pollutant that causes functional and structural damage to the salivary glands. Tempol (TEM) has powerful antioxidant activity that can potentially preserve organ function.

AIMS

This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of TEM on Cd-induced toxicity in rat parotid salivary glands.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-four adult Wistar male rats were randomly assigned to four equal groups: control, TEM (27.5 g/100 ml), Cd (0.6 g/100 ml), and TEM plus Cd (at the same doses). All treatments were dissolved in distilled water and administered subcutaneously four times a week for four weeks. Parotid gland tissues were isolated and subjected to molecular and histo-biochemical assessments.

KEY FINDINGS

TEM exerted a prophylactic effect against Cd-induced toxicity in the parotid glands by controlling inflammation through the downregulation of toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation primary response 88/nuclear factor kappa B/ interleukin-1 beta mRNA expression, upregulation of aquaporin-5 mRNA expression, improvement of the oxidant/antioxidant status in the parotid gland, mitigation of endoplasmic reticulum stress, and repair of the associated histological and ultrastructural abnormalities.

SIGNIFICANCE

TEM protects against Cd-induced toxicity in the parotid glands of rats, attributable at least in part to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as its ability to inhibit ER stress and facilitate glandular repair. However, the protective effects of TEM did not reach the levels observed in the control group. TEM could be a promising clinical candidate for protecting the salivary glands, particularly in high-risk groups such as workers exposed to Cd and cigarette smokers.

Cadmium-Induced Cell Homeostasis Impairment is Suppressed by the Tor1 Deficiency in Fission Yeast

Cadmium has no known physiological function in the body; however, its adverse effects are associated with cancer and many types of organ system damage. Although much has been shown about Cd toxicity, the underlying mechanisms of its responses to the organism remain unclear. In this study, the role of Tor1, a catalytic subunit of the target of rapamycin complex 2 (TORC2), in Cd-mediated effects on cell proliferation, the antioxidant system, morphology, and ionome balance was investigated in the eukaryotic model organism Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Surprisingly, spectrophotometric and biochemical analyses revealed that the growth rate conditions and antioxidant defense mechanisms are considerably better in cells lacking the Tor1 signaling. The malondialdehyde (MDA) content of Tor1-deficient cells upon Cd treatment represents approximately half of the wild-type content. The microscopic determination of the cell morphological parameters indicates the role for Tor1 in cell shape maintenance. The ion content, determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), showed that the Cd uptake potency was markedly lower in Tor1-depleted compared to wild-type cells. Conclusively, we show that the cadmium-mediated cell impairments in the fission yeast significantly depend on the Tor1 signaling. Additionally, the data presented here suggest the yet-undefined role of Tor1 in the transport of ions.