Metallothioneins and cadmium uptake by the liver in Bufo arenarum Original

Bufo arenarum females were treated daily with 0.5 mg Cd kg−1 during 10 days to evaluate the uptake of this heavy metal and the induction of metallothionein synthesis in the liver. The liver incorporated 26% of the Cd administered, about 6.5 times higher than the average uptake of the other tissues of B. arenarum. Three protein fractions from the B. arenarum liver bound Cd, and were induced by this xenobiotic up to approx. 24 times above the basal level of these proteins.