Foetotoxicity of Cadmium in Quackenbush Strain Mice and the Effects of the Metal on Uterine Alkaline Phosphatase During Pseudopregnancy

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Abstract
Concern about the potentially harmful effects of increasing levels of Cd in the environment has stimulated investigations of the biological implications of exposure to the heavy metal. The sensitivity of Quackenbush strain (QS) mice to the fetotoxic effects of single s.c. injections of CdCl2 (2, 4 and 8 mg Cd/kg body wt) was determined on days 1, 2, 4 or 8 of pregnancy. Autopsies performed on day 16 of pregnancy revealed that C was teratogenic and increased the incidence of malformed forelimbs and exencephaly and decreased fetal weight. The metal caused fetal weight changes and excencephaly only when it was administered on day 8 of pregnancy, indicating that the post-implantation stage presents the QS mouse with a period of increased sensitivity to the fetotoxic effects of Cd. Although injections of Cd (8 mg/kg body wt) during early pseudopregnancy did not prevent the uterus from undergoing a decidual reaction in response to a peanut oil stimulus, they did in some cases prevent alkaline phosphatase from reaching maximal activity levels in decidualized uterine horns. Inhibition of alkaline phosphatase occurred only in response to the metal injected on day 4 of pseudopregnancy and the enzyme was not affected when Cd was administered on days 1, 2, 3, 5 or 6 of pseudopregnancy. Changes in progesterone and estrogen production by the ovary or alkaline phosphatase activity of the uterus are unlikely to be responsible to any great extent for the teratogenic effects of single s.c. injections of Cd in the QS mouse during early pregnancy.