Vet World Vol.17 August-2024 Article - 23
Research Article
Veterinary World, 17(8): 1855-1863
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2024.1855-1863
Evaluation of the cognitive, physiological, and biomarker effects of heavy metal exposure in Wistar rats
2. Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
3. Department of Anatomy, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Background and Aim: Individuals exposed to heavy metals are known to experience physiological and biochemical changes, which raise questions regarding possible health effects. In our earlier research, significant concentrations of vanadium (V), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) were found in food and medical packaging materials. This study aimed to evaluate the cognitive, physiological, and biomarker effects of select heavy metal exposure in Wistar rats.
Materials and Methods: Over a 13-week period, five groups of rats (six rats per group, with both males and females) were assessed to study the effects of oral exposure to V, Hg, Cd, and As. The study focused on evaluating physiological, cognitive, and biochemical markers, with the results compared to those of a control group.
Results: Comparing all groups of rats treated with heavy metals, the study revealed significant deficits in learning and spatial orientation (water maze test); rats treated with V, Cd, and Hg showed signs of depression. Rats treated with As also showed signs of hyperactivity, which may indicate a connection to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (rat tail suspension test). The groups exposed to different heavy metals varied in their physiological (water and food intake, urine and feces output) and biochemical responses (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, prostate-specific antigen, T3, T4, thyroid-stimulating hormone, carcinoembryonic antigen, and blood glucose analysis), with Hg exhibiting the strongest impacts. Rats given Hg showed signs of hypothyroidism, such as increased food intake and weight gain.
Conclusion: This study clarifies the complex relationships between exposure to heavy metals and various biological systems, shedding light on their potential health impacts. The findings provide insight into the effects of heavy metals on neural and thyroid tissues, as well as their propensity to cause cellular dedifferentiation. However, the study has certain limitations, such as the relatively short duration of exposure and the use of only a few selected biomarkers. Future research should focus on long-term exposure studies, incorporate a broader range of biomarkers, and explore the underlying mechanisms at a molecular level to better understand the full spectrum of health risks associated with heavy metal exposure.
Keywords: arsenic, mercury, vanadium, Wistar rats.
How to cite this article: Mukhi S, Manjrekar PA, MS Rukmini, Sindhu H, Kotian H, Rao YL, and Sherly A (2024) Evaluation of the cognitive, physiological, and biomarker effects of heavy metal exposure in Wistar rats, Veterinary World, 17(8): 1855-1863.
Received: 2024-05-09 Accepted: 2024-07-28 Published online: 2024-08-24
Corresponding author: E-mail:
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.1855-1863
Copyright: Mukhi, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
