Cellular mechanisms of cadmium toxicity related to the homeostasis of essential metals
- PMID: 20524046
- DOI: 10.1007/s10534-010-9336-y
Cellular mechanisms of cadmium toxicity related to the homeostasis of essential metals
Abstract
The widespread occurrence of cadmium in the environment continues to pose a threat to human health despite attempts at limiting its technological uses. The biologically significant ionic form of cadmium, Cd(2+), binds to many bio-molecules and these interactions underlie the toxicity mechanisms of cadmium. Some of the molecules specialized in the handling of alkaline earth (Mg(2+), Ca(2+)) and transition metal ions (e.g. Zn(2+), Cu(2+/+), Fe(3+/2+)) should be particularly sensitive to the presence of Cd(2+), because they enclose cationic sites to which the toxic metal can bind. The possible molecular targets of this kind for cadmium are considered herein. Whereas in vitro evidence for native cation replacement by Cd(2+) in bio-molecules has been largely provided, the demonstration of such occurrences in vivo is scarce, with the notable exception of metallothionein. One reason might be that realistic low-level Cd(2+) contaminations involve cellular concentrations far smaller than those of endogenous cations that usually saturate their binding sites. It is very likely that cadmium toxicity is most often mediated by biological systems amplifying the signals triggered by the presence of Cd(2+). The interference of Cd(2+) with redox sensitive systems acting at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels is instrumental in such processes. A better understanding of cadmium toxicity to tackle the environmental challenges lying ahead thus requires properly designed studies implementing biologically relevant cadmium concentrations on different cell types, improved knowledge of the homeostasis of essential metals, and use of these data in a theoretical framework integrating all cellular aspects of cadmium effects.
Similar articles
-
Importance of metallothioneins in the cadmium detoxification process in Daphnia magna.Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2006 Nov;144(3):286-93. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2006.10.003. Epub 2006 Oct 19. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2006. PMID: 17113354
-
Cadmium toxicity in animal cells by interference with essential metals.Biochimie. 2006 Nov;88(11):1807-14. doi: 10.1016/j.biochi.2006.05.013. Epub 2006 Jun 21. Biochimie. 2006. PMID: 16814917 Review.
-
Role of metallothionein in cadmium traffic and toxicity in kidneys and other mammalian organs.Biometals. 2010 Oct;23(5):897-926. doi: 10.1007/s10534-010-9351-z. Epub 2010 Jun 15. Biometals. 2010. PMID: 20549307 Review.
-
Essential transition metal homeostasis in plants.Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2009 Jun;12(3):347-57. doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2009.04.011. Epub 2009 May 27. Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2009. PMID: 19481497 Review.
-
Biological and health implications of toxic heavy metal and essential trace element interactions.Prog Food Nutr Sci. 1987;11(1):55-113. Prog Food Nutr Sci. 1987. PMID: 3303135 Review.
Cited by 60 articles
-
Cadmium Body Burden and Inflammatory Arthritis: A Pilot Study in Patients from Lower Silesia, Poland.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 6;19(5):3099. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19053099. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022. PMID: 35270791 Free PMC article.
-
Synoviocytes from pigmented villonodular synovitis are less sensitive to cadmium-induced cell death than synoviocytes from rheumatoid arthritis.Sci Rep. 2022 Mar 9;12(1):3832. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-07745-9. Sci Rep. 2022. PMID: 35264617 Free PMC article.
-
The Impact of Trace Elements on Osteoarthritis.Front Med (Lausanne). 2021 Dec 23;8:771297. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.771297. eCollection 2021. Front Med (Lausanne). 2021. PMID: 35004740 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Metal-Specificity Divergence between Metallothioneins of Nerita peloronta (Neritimorpha, Gastropoda) Sets the Starting Point for a Novel Chemical MT Classification Proposal.Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Dec 4;22(23):13114. doi: 10.3390/ijms222313114. Int J Mol Sci. 2021. PMID: 34884919 Free PMC article.
-
Cadmium-Induced Kidney Injury: Oxidative Damage as a Unifying Mechanism.Biomolecules. 2021 Oct 23;11(11):1575. doi: 10.3390/biom11111575. Biomolecules. 2021. PMID: 34827573 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous
