histological and functional alteration in the liver and kidney and the response of antioxidants in japanese quail exposed to dietary cadmium

background: the aim of the present study was to find the effects of cadmium (cd) on japanese quail on the role of an animal model in order to understand the toxicity of cd in creatures presented, within the environment. methods: one hundred 30-day-old male japanese quails were equally divided into the control group and cd group. the control group received no cd while the cd group was given formula feed comprised of 100 ppm of cd (cdcl2, merck, germany) for sixty days. the histological and functional alteration in the liver and kidneys and the response of antioxidants were determined. results: histological changes in the liver increased the number of kuppfer cells, vacuolar degeneration, and hepatocytes single cell necrosis in the cd group. the renal histopathological changes were hyaline cast in renal tubules and necrosis and swelling of tubular epithelial cells. the level of aminotransferases (alt and ast), blood urea nitrogen (bun) and creatinine rose significantly in the cd group toward the control group (p<0.05). the antioxidants (sod, cat and gsh) levels considerably diminished, while lipid peroxidation proliferated substantially in the hepatic and renal tissues of japanese quails in the cd group (p<0.05). conclusion: presentation to dietary cd (100mg/kg diet) for 60 reduces the body weights gain and induces the histological and functional alteration in the liver and kidneys of japanese quail as well as cellular antioxidant alterations.