Effects of intraperitoneal administration of cadmium on apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bax genes expression in rat hippocampal cells

Cadmium is one of the most toxic elements in our environment and it has detrimental effects on various organs of body including nervous system. Cadmium poisoning causes neuronal degeneration and accumulation this substance in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is part of the limbic system that involved the organization of information, memories and emotions. A key element of apoptosis is Bcl2 family that regulates the expression of genes in the brain. In this study, the effects of intraperitoneal administration of cadmium on apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bax genes expression in rat the hippocampus cell were investigated.
28 male Wistar rats weighing 200 to 250 g were randomly divided into 4 groups. Control group and 3 groups of treatment received intraperitoneal injections of saline and cadmium at doses of 1, 2 and 4 mg /kg for 15 days. The sixteenth day after the first injection, the hippocampus region was dissected and removed and then the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax genes was evaluated using Real-Time PCR.
The expression of mRNA Bcl2 gene was decreased at dose of 1, 2 and 4 mg/kg (p