ROLE OF CHRONIC CADMIUM EXPOSURE ON ADIPOSE TISSUE FUNCTION

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic environmental pollutant with a bioaccumulation feature that exceeds 35 years without a known biological role in the living systems. Recently, Cd was found to be accumulated in adipose tissue (AT) which is known for its vital role in energy homeostasis and endocrine functions. The main goal of this study is to investigate the effect of low-dose chronic exposure of Cd on the function of AT in different locations. Sprague-Dawley male rats were exposed to low Cd dose (15 ppm) for ten weeks, then subcutaneous AT, abdominal AT, and retroperitoneal AT were extracted for molecular analysis. Adiponectin and leptin expression levels were evaluated to assess AT function, and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1(MCP-1) was evaluated to assess the adipose tissue macrophages function. Our results showed significant downregulation of adiponectin and leptin mRNA expression in SUB-AT compared to other depots. Also, MCP-1 mRNA and the protein expression levels were downregulated in SUB-AT. These results suggest that chronic exposure to low-dose Cd disrupts the function of WAT in a depot-specific manner by altering the expression profile of the adipocytokines.