Potential Protective Effects of Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Supplementation on Cadmium-Induced Toxicity in Albinos Wistar Rat

Environmental pollution is considered as man's greatest crime against himself as pollution of the ecosystem with industrial, agricultural, and sewage effluents results in contamination of air, food, and water with some toxic agents such as heavy metals, which constitute a major public threat [1]. Multiple heavy metals may simultaneously enter the human body through air, water, and/or food. Once inside the body, heavy metals are not easily metabolized or excreted; they build up quickly and bioaccumulate, leading to an increase in their concentration [2].
Cadmium (Cd) is one of several toxic heavy metals that have no known physiological function in the organism. The health hazard from exposure to cadmium has long been recognized, both in and outside of the workplace [3]. Furthermore, this metal is one of the toxic heavy metals, and its increased concentration in the agricultural soils is known to come from the application of phosphate fertilizers, sewage sludge, water, and pesticides [4]. Cadmium is a highly toxic heavy metal and a significant environmental pollutant. It can severely damage various organs and biochemical systems. In addition, it can induce severe, acute, and especially chronic intoxications [5]. Cd occupational and environmental exposure comes from metallurgy and the plastics industry, mining pigments, chemical stabilizers, metal coatings, and battery production. Cd-contaminated agricultural land and food are a great source of Cd exposure. Cd can also be found in tobacco smoke, further contributing to human exposure [6]…