Metallothionein (MT), a small protein molecule which can bind or release metal ions, is involved in the regulation of cellular metal homeostasis This study was investigated the accumulation of cadmium in blood, tissue (liver, kidney and brain), and the effect of cadmium on several key genes (MT-I, MT-II, ZnT-1) in zine metabolism in the mouse Mouses weighing 20~25g were randomly assigned to control and cadmium treated group (Cd group) Cd group was intraperitoneally injected with cadmium 2, 4, 8 mg/kg and control group was admimisterd with saline Mouses of each group were sacrificed by decapitation 4 hours after the administration of cadmium Cadmium contents in blood, liver, kidney and brain were increased by a dose-dependent manner Accumulation of cadmium was mainly occurred in liver and kidney Induction of MT-I and MT-II Protein was increased, but ZuT-1 expression was decreased in a dose-dependent manner by the treatment of 2~8 mg/kg cadmium These results suggested that cadmium can be transported to brain and alter the expression of several key genes in zinc homeostasis.
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