DefinePK

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cadmium (Cd) is a silver-white, toxic and rare metal that exists in nature and can adversely affect the health of living organisms. Naringenin (Nar) is a natural flavonoid that protects many tissues of the body from the toxic effects of heavy metals. Studies have explored the adverse effects of Cd on rats and other animals, but the mechanism of Cd-induced autophagy in the kidney and the antagonistic effect of Nar on Cd are still unclear. In this study, SD rats were treated with Cd and/or Nar to investigate the protective effect of Nar on Cd-induced toxicity. The rats were treated for 4 weeks. The histopathological observation, oxidative stress index and autophagy-related gene expression level were detected of rat kidneys. The results showed that Cd caused the pathological changes of kidneys. And Cd also increased the content of glutathione and malondialdehyde and decreased the content of catalase and total superoxide dismutase. Instead, Nar significantly attenuated these Cd-induced toxic activities. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of Beclin1 and P62 were increased in the Cd-treated group. Treatment with Nar can significantly inhibit the increase of P62 protein expression level caused by Cd, indicating that Nar has a certain inhibitory effect on cell autophagy. In general, this study shows that Cd caused oxidative stress and autophagy. Nar can reduce the toxicity of Cd by attenuating oxidative stress and inhibiting autophagy. The specific mechanism of Nar antagonizing the toxicity of Cd can provide new ideas for anti-Cd toxicity, and also provide theoretical basis for the clinical application of Nar.