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. 2021 Oct 15;14(10):1048-1055.
eCollection 2021.

Progesterone modulates cadmium-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in hepatic tissues of Wistar rats

Margaret Olutayo Alese  1 , Olawande Damilola Bamisi  1 , Oluwole Ojo Alese  2
Affiliations

Progesterone modulates cadmium-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in hepatic tissues of Wistar rats

Margaret Olutayo Alese et al. Int J Clin Exp Pathol. .

Abstract

In recent times, there has been an increased risk of human exposure to cadmium especially in developing countries. We studied the role of progesterone as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent in cadmium induced toxicity. Cadmium toxicity was induced with cadmium chloride (30 mg/kg) per oral while the control group was given distilled water. The Cd group was given CdCl2 only, P4 group; progesterone only (10 mg/kg intraperitoneally) and Cd+P4 group; CdCl2 and progesterone. All treatments lasted for 21 days. Following sacrifice, liver function tests and antioxidant status were assessed using standard kits; TNFα was immunolocalized across the study groups and the staining intensity measured using Image J software. Cadmium administration induced oxidative stress by a significant elevation in MDA and GC6P levels and a significant reduction in SOD, CAT, and GSH. These were attenuated by progesterone administration. While cadmium exposure caused an increase in serum ALT, AST, and ALP activities, progesterone significantly alleviated these effects. Inflammation shown by significant immunoreactivity in the TNFα positive cells in the liver in the cadmium group was reversed by progesterone. We conclude that cadmium toxicity induces oxidative stress that was attenuated by progesterone.

Keywords: Progesterone; TNFα; cadmium toxicity; inflammation; liver; oxidative stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Levels of antioxidant status parameters. α & β: significant difference compared with control and Cd group respectively. P<0.05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Liver function markers in the experimental groups. α & β: significant difference compared with control and Cd group respectively. p<0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A. Immunohistochemical study of TNF-α in the liver tissue sections. Areas of brown staining indicate immunoreactivity in the hepatocytes and central vein of rats in the experimental groups. B. ImmunoRatio Image J Plugin measuring the percentage of positively stained nuclear area. *p < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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