Figure 1.

Measurements of kidney impairment in rats exposed to chronic Cd for 12 weeks. (a) The concentration of Cd in kidney tissue and rat urine detected by using ICP-MS. (b) Pathohistological changes in kidney tissue produced by Cd exposure (Periodic Acid-Schiff stain, HE ×400). (c) Cleaved Caspase-3 was increased after Cd exposure. (d) Early biomarkers of kidney injury in urine detected with ELISA. Rats exposed to CdCl₂ at 0.6 mg/kg/d for 5 days per week for 12 weeks. Data were represented as mean ± SD, N = 3. ^∗p < 0.05, ^∗∗p < 0.01, and ^∗∗∗p < 0.001.