1979 Volume 25 Issue 5 Pages 251-255
In order to study the relationship of liver function to cadmium metabolism, rats which had been pretreated with ethionine or carbon tetrachloride, or which had received partial resection of the liver, were injected subcutaneously with 109CdCl2. 109Cd uptake by various organs and the 109Cd-metallothionein level in the liver and kidneys were examined. In rats with liver disorder induced by ethionine or carbon tetrachloride, the cadmium uptake by, and the metallothionein level in the liver were depressed, while they were markedly elevated in organs other than liver, especially in the kidneys. Upon partial resection of the liver, on the other hand, the cadmium uptake by, and the metallothionein level in the liver elevated. Partial hepatectomy also caused the cadmium uptake by and the metallothionein level in the kidneys to be elevated and the level was also elevated to a lesser degree in all other organs. These results confirm the importance of the liver in cadmium metabolism.
