Liver Damage Induced by Cadmium via mTOR-Mediated Autophagy in Hepatocytes

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the environmental pollutants that induces hepatotoxicity, but the mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to probe whether mTOR-dependent autophagy was involved in Cd-induced liver damage in vivo and in vitro. AML12 cells were exposed to various concentrations of CdCl2 for 6, 12, 24hr, or C57BL/6 mice were given CdCl2 solution for 3 days via oral administration. Cell viability was measured by CCK-8 assay. The expression of p-mTOR or LC3 protein was measured with western blotting or immunofluorescence, as well as liver damage via H&E staining. This study focused on the effect of Cd on liver injury, including the mTOR pathway and autophagy, which provides new ideas for further study on the damage mechanism of environmental pollutants.