Histological Changes of Spleen, Stomach and Small Intestine Induced by Cadmium in Rats and the Protective Effect of Curcumin

Cadmium (Cd) is a carcinogenic metal and serious environmental pollutant which toxic effects are associated with oxidative stress. Curcumin, a biologically active compound from turmeric, acts as a natural antioxidant and is considered to be a potent chemo-preventive agent. In the present study, we designed to investigate the effects of pre-treatment with curcumin against Cd toxicity on histological changes of spleen, stomach and small intestine in adult male Wistar rats. The rats were treated once daily by oral gavage for five days and divided into four groups of 8 rats each: control, Cd acetate 200 mg/kg BW, curcumin 250 mg/kg BW and pretreatment with curcumin 250 mg/kg BW for one hour before administration with Cd acetate 200 mg/kg BW. After 24 h of the last treatment, we examined the histological changes of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained spleen, stomach and intestinal sections under the light microscope. The results showed that Cd treatment could induce the mucosal damages of stomach, villus damage of small intestine and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the lamina propria. Furthermore, the area of splenic white pulp was decreased significantly (p