HISOPATHOLOGICAL AND ULTRASTRACTURAL CHANGES OF KIDNEYS IN RESPONSE TO CADMIUM CHLORIDE TTOXICITY IN BROILER CHICKENS

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Abstract

Cadmium as a heavy metal has some detrimental effects on the health of living organisms. The aim of the present inventigation was to study the effects of cadmium induced toxicity on the kidney in a broiler chicken model. Eighty four one day-old male Ross breed broiler chickens were obtained from a commercial poultry farm and randomly divided into four groups. While control (group 1) took no cadmium, groups 2, 3 and 4 received a ration of 25, 50 and 100 ppm cadmium (CdCl2) per day, respectively. At days 14, 28 and 42 seven birds were sacrificed and their kidneys were examined with both light microscope and transmission electron microscope. Data were statistically analyzed using 2- way ANOVA. Kidney lesions in the groups 3 and 4 were more severe than the group 2. Severity of kidney lesions showed both time and dose dependent manner increase so that all birds in groups 3 and 4 had severe kidney lesions. These groups received 50 and 100 ppm cadmium a day. Renal histopathology showed swelling, degenerative changes, necrosis and apoptosis in tubular epithelium as well as presence of hyaline casts and lack of kidney lymphoid tissue formation. It can be concluded that higher concentrations of dietary cadmium can induce kidney lesions in chickens through glomerular and tubular damages.

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