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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Sep 21.
Published in final edited form as: Kidney Int. 2007 Aug 8;72(8):985–993. doi: 10.1038/sj.ki.5002467

Figure 6. The effects of Cd and Hg on renal cell membrane integrity.

Figure 6

Animals were treated with either Cd (0.6 mg/kg, subcutaneously 5 days a week for 6 weeks) or HgCl2 (3.5 mg/kg of Hg, intraperitoneally), and the left kidneys were perfused with ethidium homodimer. Cryosections of the kidneys were then fixed, permeabilized, and labeled with DAPI to identify total nuclei. (a-d) Phase-contrast images corresponding to DAPI-labeled panels (e-h) and ethidium homodimer-labeled panels (i-l). No differences in ethidium homodimer labeling were detected in (j) 6-week Cd2+-treated samples or (k) 12-week Cd-treated samples compared with (i)12 week saline-treated control. In contrast, samples from Hg-treated animals showed widespread necrosis (l), as indicated by intense ethidium labeling (original magnification × 164).