Subacute toxicity of chromium compounds in rats

Chromium is an environmentally significant human carcinogen with a complicated metabolism and an unknown mechanism of mutagenesis. Chromium (VI) is taken up by cells as anions and is reduced intracellulary via reactive intermediates to stable Cr (III) species. A comparison was made between the effects of Cr (III) and Cr (VI). Two groups of male adult rats weighing 150-250 g were intraperitoneally administered with Cr (III) and Cr (VI) in doses of 5 mg/kg body weight daily for 10 days. A third group of saline-injected rats was used as a control. At the end of the experiments blood samples were collected for haematological and blood indices. Serum was prepared for the estimation of creatinine, uric acid, total proteins, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase and alkaline phosphatase. Data revealed the high toxicity of Cr (VI) compared with the moderate toxicity of Cr (III) on rats. Chromium-induced toxicity was evaluated by a drastic increase in organ weight (body wt/organ wt ratio) of the testes, liver and kidney.