Background: Heavy metals are elements that are naturally found in the earth. They are used in many modern-day applications in agriculture, medicine, and industry. Heavy metal poisoning occurs when the body’s soft tissues absorb too much of a particular metal. The heavy metals of interest for this review paper were cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and lead since these are the most common metals that the human body can absorb in toxic amounts. Different plant species were investigated in recent years for their effect on oxidative stress parameters after intoxication with heavy metals.Objectives: This review paper is focused on the current update to research on heavy metals induced oxidative stress in animal models and improvement of the oxidative stress parameters upon/co-/after treatment with different plant extracts and isolated compounds.Methods: The available literature was screened for the novel data regarding the influence of plant extracts and compounds on heavy metals induced oxidative stress. For that purposes Scopus database was used, looking for the publications in the last 5-10 years with the key terms: plant extracts, oxidative stress, in vivo, cadmium, lead, mercury and arcenic.Results: Various parameters of oxidative stress were investigated, and their improvement with plant extracts/ compounds was observed in the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, uterus, testis, thymus, spleen, heart, skin and blood of experimental animals. Common parameters used to determine oxidative stress in animals were: superoxide dismutase; catalase; reduced glutathione; glutathione reductase; glutathione-S-transferase; glutathione peroxidase; lipid peroxidation; oxidized glutathione; malondialdehyde; xanthine oxidase; nonprotein-soluble thiol; thioredoxin reductase; total sulphydryl group; nitric oxide; γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase.Conclusions: The most investigated species for antioxidant effects upon intoxication with heavy metals seem to be Allium sp., Bacopa monniera, Camellia sinensis, Moringa oleifera, Vitis vinifera and Zingiber officinale. According to literature data, the most promising effect to alleviate symptoms of intoxication was achieved with proanthocyanidins obtained from Vitis vinifera.

The nematode Calodium hepaticum and the cestode Taenia taeniaeformis are zoonotic helminths primarly found in the liver of common wild rats. Most reports on these helminth species with cosmopolitan distribution are from Asia, and there is paucity of data for Europe. Wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from urban and suburban habitats of the Belgrade area were examined for the presence of Calodium hepaticum and Taenia taeniaeformis larvae liver infections. The presence of visible cysts and a histomorphology of parasite-related inflammatory liver responses were sought as signs of infection. The total prevalence of infection was 10.9% (C. hepaticum) and 29.9% (T. taeniaeformis), with no differences between the sexes. No difference in the annual prevalence of both helminth species was noted. Data obtained in this study provide new information relevant to wild Norway rats as sources of C. hepaticum and T. taeniaeformis liver infection in this geographic area, and, in a wider context, in Europe. .

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic metal that is distributed worldwide. Exposure to it is correlated with a vast number of diseases and organism malfunctions. Exopolysaccharides (EPS) derived from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BGAN8, EPS-AN8, previously showed great potential for the in vitro protection of intestinal cells from this metal. Here, we investigated the potential of food supplemented with EPS-AN8 to protect rats from the hazardous effects of Cd exposure. After thirty days of exposure to lower (5 ppm) and higher (50 ppm)-Cd doses, the administration of EPS-AN8 led to decreased Cd content in the kidneys, liver, and blood compared to only Cd-treated groups, whereas the fecal Cd content was strongly enriched. In addition, EPS-AN8 reversed Cd-provoked effects on the most significant parameters of oxidative stress (MDA, CAT, GST, and GSH) and inflammation (IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ) in the duodenum. Moreover, micrographs of the duodenum were in line with these findings. As the gut microbiota has an important role in maintaining homeostasis, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and investigated the effects of Cd and EPS-AN8 on one part of the microbiota presented in the duodenum. Although Cd decreased the growth of lactobacilli and mostly favored the blooming of opportunistic pathogen bacteria, parallel intake of EPS-AN8 reversed those changes. Therefore, our results imply that EPS-AN8 might be extremely noteworthy in combatting this toxic environmental pollutant.

Basic immune-related health-relevant changes (total and differential white blood cell counts and activity, leukocyte tissue infiltration, and related pathohistology) were assessed in wild Norway rats from urban habitats. Comparative measurements were conducted in individuals of several laboratory strains of Norway rat in order to gain insight into environmental effects on the health of wild rats. Changes in leukocyte counts and activity along with tissue infiltration were noted only in wild rats, indicating systemic as well as tissue inflammation in these animals. Coincidence of these changes with chronic inflammatory pulmonary and kidney disease was observed in the majority of affected rats.