INFLUÊNCIA DO pH DA ÁGUA NA GÊNESE DE LESÕES DO TRATO DIGESTÓRIO POR INTOXICAÇÃO COM CÁDMIO EM RATOS

Abstract

Cancer is a universal disease, with high mortality rates in some cases. It is the second leading cause of death in the Western world, and go to the first place around the year 2020. Cancer has genetic and environmental causes, one of them the ingestion of heavy metals such as cadmium. There are few studies evaluating the gastrointestinal toxicity of cadmium. There is no consensus in the literature on the treatment of cadmium toxicity. We need simple methods to avoid its effects. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the lesions caused by cadmium poisoning in the digestive tract and the possible effect of the drinking water pH in the initiation of these lesions. Methods: For this study, 90 male Wistar rats were used, divided into 6 groups: A - 15 rats that received 400 mg / L cadmium chloride (CdCl2) in drinking water at a neutral pH of 7.0; B - 15 rats that received CdCl2 (400 mg / L) in drinking water at an acidic pH of 5.0; C - 15 rats that received CdCl2 (400 mg / L) in drinking water at a basic pH of 8.0; D - 15 rats that received water at an acidic pH of 5.0; E - 15 rats that received water at a basic pH of 8.0; and F - 15 rats that received water at a neutral pH of 7.0. All animals were euthanized after 6 months. Fragments of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine of each rat were removed for microscopic analysis. Results: There were microscopic changes neither in the esophagus nor in the small and large intestine. Only cadmium exposed animals showed mild dysplasia of the gastric mucosa (p= 0.012), regardless of the pH (p> 0.05). Conclusion: The cadmium led to the formation of dysplastic lesions in the gastric glandular epithelium, regardless of water pH.