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Cadmium exposure negatively affects the microarchitecture of trabecular bone and decreases the density of a subset of sympathetic nerve fibers innervating the developing rat femur

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Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is toxic to the skeletal system resulting in bone loss and pain. We aimed at determining the effect of chronic Cd exposure on bone density and microarchitecture along with changes in the density of a subset of sensory and sympathetic nerve fibers innervating the developing rat femur. Newborn male Wistar rats were injected daily for 49 days with CdCl2 (1 mg/kg i.p.) or saline solution (control group). At the day of sacrifice, levels of Cd in the right femur, liver and kidney were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Additionally, microCT followed by immunohistochemical analyses were performed in the left femur. Results showed Cd accumulation in trabecular bone neared levels seen in liver and kidney. Cd concentration in cortical bone was significantly lower versus trabecular bone. MicroCT analysis revealed that Cd-exposed rats had a significant decrease in trabecular bone parameters at the distal femoral metaphysis; however, most of the cortical bone parameters were not significantly affected. Cd-exposed rats showed a significant loss of TH+ sympathetic nerve fibers, but not of CGRP+ sensory nerve fibers, at the level of bone marrow of the femoral diaphysis as compared to control rats. This study shows that Cd negatively affects bone density and microarchitecture of trabecular bone and decreases the density of sympathetic nerve fibers innervating rat femur. Future studies are warranted to determine the toxigenic mechanisms of Cd on sympathetic nerves and how sympathetic denervation influences bone loss in animals exposed to Cd.

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Funding

This work was supported by Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa; financial support number CD.CBS.535.2018. Joel Hernandez receives a Doctorate fellowship From CONACyT Mexico, (622536/570248, CVU/Becario). PhD student from Doctorado en ciencias Biologicas y de la salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria Reynosa Aztlán, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, 88740, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico

    Mayra A. Graniel-Amador, Héctor F. Torres-Rodríguez & Juan M. Jiménez-Andrade

  2. Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, DCBS, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana- Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, Leyes de Reforma 1ra Sección, 09340, CDMX, Mexico

    Joel Hernández-Rodríguez & Marcela Arteaga-Silva

  3. Departamento de Neuroquímica, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía “Dr. Manuel Velasco Suárez”, Insurgentes sur 3877, 14269, Tlalpan, CDMX, Mexico

    Sergio Montes

Authors
  1. Mayra A. Graniel-Amador
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  2. Héctor F. Torres-Rodríguez
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  3. Juan M. Jiménez-Andrade
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  4. Joel Hernández-Rodríguez
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  5. Marcela Arteaga-Silva
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  6. Sergio Montes
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Juan M. Jiménez-Andrade, Sergio Montes; Methodology: Mayra A. Graniel-Amador, Joel Hernández-Rodríguez, Sergio Montes; Formal analysis and investigation: Marcela Arteaga-Silva, Héctor F. Torres-Rodríguez Writing - original draft preparation: Mayra A. Graniel-Amador, Juan M. Jiménez-Andrade ; Writing - review and editing: Héctor F. Torres-Rodríguez, Supervision: Sergio Montes.

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Correspondence to Sergio Montes.

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Graniel-Amador, M.A., Torres-Rodríguez, H.F., Jiménez-Andrade, J.M. et al. Cadmium exposure negatively affects the microarchitecture of trabecular bone and decreases the density of a subset of sympathetic nerve fibers innervating the developing rat femur. Biometals 34, 87–96 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-020-00265-x

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