Effect of cadmium on the thickness of compact bone and on bone repair in cadmium-sensitive mice.

Cadmium administered intraperitoneally to male mice from a cadmium-sensitive KE strain brought about a decrease in thickness of the cortical bone layer accompanied by osteoporosis and widening of the marrow cavity. The extent of these changes was assessed by calculating the cortical index. No differences were observed between animals examined four months and eight months after cadmium administration. Cadmium also caused a delay in bone repair after experimental fracture: in cadmium-treated mice bony callus had not formed six weeks after the fracture, whereas control animals showed a fully healed fracture after four weeks.