Abstract

The toxicological evaluations of cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) were carried out against Albino mice model, Mus musculus. On the basis of LC₅₀ value, Cd (0.47 mM) was found to be the most toxic followed by Zn (2.40 mM), Pb (2.42 mM), Fe (4.52 mM) and Mn (5.70 mM) as least toxic. The results of the sublethal concentration of the heavy metals (1/10^th of 96 hrLC₅₀) on the liver function parameters and kidney markers showed that total glycerol (TG) levels increased significantly (P < 0.05) in Cd and Mn treated groups while Zn, Pb and Mn induced a significantly higher (P < 0.05) level of total protein. Mn and Fe induced significantly (P < 0.05) increase in the level of total bilirubin (T.BIL), urea and albumin (ALB) in exposed mice relative to the control group. The outcome of this study implied that sublethal responses of liver function parameters and kidney markers were found to have good potentials in serving as a combination of biomarkers for early detection and diagnosis of ‘heavy metals’ pollution in the mammalian model.

Key words: Biomarkers, heavy metals, kidney markers, liver function parameters, Mus musculus.