Comparative Analysis of Cadmium Profiles in Liver, Kidney, and Muscle of Bovines, Equines, and Cervids

Understanding interspecies physiological variability, toxicokinetic pathways, and bioaccumulation dynamics is fundamentally essential for veterinary diagnostics, food safety assurance, and wildlife conservation management. This ten-year toxicological study (2015–2025) analyzed cadmium (Cd) concentrations in liver, kidney, and muscle tissues of bovines, cervids, and equines from northwestern Italy using ICP-MS. Cadmium distribution varied significantly by species and tissue. Bovines and cervids exhibited low, homogeneous burdens (bovine mean liver: 0.14 mg/kg, kidney: 0.60 mg/kg; cervid mean liver: 0.13 mg/kg, kidney: 0.72 mg/kg), and cervids showed wider ranges due to environmental exposure. Conversely, equines accumulated drastically higher concentrations in hepatorenal tissues, averaging 10 mg/kg in the liver and 53 mg/kg in the kidney. Muscle tissue concentrations remained minimal across all species (0.017 to 0.078 mg/kg). Principal Component Analysis explained 90.4% of total variance, cleanly separating equines from bovines and cervids based on hepatic and renal loads. Liver and kidney proved to be robust biomarkers for monitoring Cd exposure. These findings support the integration of comparative tissue metal profiling into comprehensive veterinary toxicology, veterinary public health, and wildlife health assessment frameworks.