Human & experimental toxicologyMar 4, 2010

Cadmium causes oxidative stress in the pituitary gland that can be reversed by stopping exposure

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 4, 2026

Abstract

Cadmium exposure (5 ppm for 30 days) increased oxidative stress biomarkers in rats, which were reversed by subsequent melatonin treatment.

Cadmium exposure elevated the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), indicating increased oxidative stress.
Melatonin treatment initiated after cadmium exposure reduced oxidative stress levels in the anterior pituitary gland.
The reversal of oxidative stress effects persisted even one month after cadmium was removed.
Increases in metallothionein-1 (MT-1) and nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) expression caused by cadmium were also reversed with metal removal.
Serum levels of prolactin and luteinizing hormone affected by cadmium exposure returned to normal following treatment.

Simplified

Cadmium (Cd(2+)) is one of the most important environmental contaminants and acts as an endocrine disruptor. Previously, we have demonstrated that the simultaneous administration of Cd(2+) and melatonin (Mel) in drinking water impaired metal-induced oxidative stress in rat anterior pituitary gland. The aim of this study was to investigate if a treatment started after the toxic manifestations of Cd( 2+) became evident could reverse the effects of the metal. Animals exposed to Cd(2+) (5 parts per million [ppm], 30 days) were treated with Mel or without the metal during the next 1 or 2 months. Cd(2+) exposure increased the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a biomarker of oxidative stress, and an a posteriori Mel treatment reversed oxidative stress induced by Cd(2+). This effect was also observed 1 month after metal removal. The Cd(2+)-induced increase in metallothionein-1 (MT-1) and nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) expression were also reversed by metal removal. In addition, serum prolactin and luteinizing hormone levels affected by Cd( 2+) exposure were normalized. Considering that the manifestations of Cd(2+) intoxication become evident only after a certain period of metal accumulation, these results show that metal removal is enough to reverse Cd(2+) effects in anterior pituitary gland and bring to light the relevance of moving away the individual from the contamination source.

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Cadmium causes oxidative stress in the pituitary gland that can be reversed by stopping exposure

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