Abstract: Heavy metals including cadmium represent environmental hazards and a great problem as these heavy
metals lead to a great public risks for human, animal and poultry health. Metallothionein (MT) is a low molecular
weight metal binding protein; it plays an important role in providing protection from cadmium toxicity. Vitamin C is
one of the most important antioxidants that is used for prophylaxis and treatment of cadmium toxicity. The current
study included 24 Albino rats and divided into four groups, each one includes six rats . First group was kept as
controls (CON). The second one was given only vitamin C (VIC). The third was given only cadmium chloride
Cdcl2 (CAD).The last group was given both vitamin C and Cdcl2 (VIC+CAD). Metallothionein 1 and 2 mRNA
expressions were measured in liver and kidney tissues by SYBR green relative quantitative Real time PCR in all
samples. The Cdcl2 increases the expression of both MT1 and MT2 mRNA in liver by 4.421 and 3.827 fold and in
kidney tissues by 1.095 and 1.203 respectively. The study also demonstrates that vitamin C decreases the expression
of MT1 and MT2 in kidney tissues by 0.214 and 0.191 fold respectively and has no significant effect on liver tissues.
It was suggested that MT and MT2 mRNA act as biomarkers of cadmium toxicity. Vitamin C had a protective role
against cadmium through its antioxidant effect and that appeared through decreasing the expression of both MT1 and
MT2 in liver and kidney tissues.
[Olla Adel Khalifa, Naglaa Fathy Alhusseini, Gamal A. Sosa and Shabaan A. Hemeda. Effect of Cadmium
Chloride and or Vitamin "C" on Metallothionein Gene Expression