Cd stress in mice after chronic exposure to low doses: A multidisciplinary approach with main focus on the kidney

Abstract

New technologies are rapidly growing in our industrialized society. The amount of goods that are produced, the production processes and the ever-increasing consumption are threatening the environment and the people living in it. Contaminating agents can undermine our health status and interfere with processes in our body, influence organ functioning and be the cause of severe illnesses or death. This research project deals with one particular contaminating agent, cadmium (Cd), which mainly affects occupat;0nally exposed workers, smokers and humans living in contaminated areas. The objective of the present work is to create an animal model that is chronically exposed to relatively low Cd concentrations. The most important target organ for Cd is the kidney, where it will accumulate for many years. Therefore we want to investigate the kidney's 'health status' in a functional, histological and biochemical way. Furthermore we will focus on the defence systems in the kidney in their attempt to minimize Cd damage. We hope it may provide new insights in the early events of chronic Cd intoxication.