A preliminary study of the submandibular gland of the rat after one-year cadmium intoxication. Part I. Cadmium concentration.

The aim of the present study was to establish to what degree a one-year exposure of rat females to 5, 50 and 100 mg Cd/l affects the weight of the submandibular glands and their cadmium levels. We observed a decrease in the weight of the submandibular glands in the rat females from Groups I, II and III, compared to the control rats. We also found an increase in cadmium levels in the submandibular glands in Groups I, II and III, in comparison to the control. The highest cadmium concentration was noted in the submandibular glands in Group III, which was accompanied by the greatest weight reduction, the correlation being negative. The present experiment indicates that one-year administration of cadmium to rat females at a dose of 5, 50 and 100 mg Cd/l leads to a cadmium dose-dependent decrease in the weight of the submandibular glands.