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Cadmium-Induced Fetal Growth Retardation in Mice and the Effects of Dietary Supplements of Zinc, Copper, Iron and Selenium¹

Department of Anatomy, University of Sydney, Sydney, N.S.W. 2006, Australia

Many of the toxic effects of cadmium can be prevented by prior or simultaneous administration of either zinc, copper, iron or selenium. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether cadmium-induced fetal growth retardation in the mouse could be prevented, or reduced, by dietary supplementation with salts of these elements. Pregnant mice, receiving either distilled water to drink or distilled water containing 40 ppm cadmium, were fed, throughout pregnancy, a normal stock mouse diet supplemented with either zinc (200, 400 or 800 ppm), copper (30, 100 or 400 ppm), iron (200 or 1,000 ppm) or selenium (0.05, 2, 20 or 200 ppm). Also included was a control group which did not receive cadmium or dietary supplements. The animals were killed on the 19th day of pregnancy and the fetuses removed and weighed. The results showed that the iron supplemented diets gave partial protection against the cadmium-induced growth retardation; the other diets were ineffective.

KEY WORDS: • cadmium • zinc • copper • iron • selenium • fetal growth

¹ This investigation was supported by a grant from the Australian Tobacco Research Foundation.

Manuscript received 1 June 1978.