Effect of Cadmium on Oxidative Stress Indices and Vitamin D Concentrations in Children

Abstract

Heavy metal poisoning can have serious health consequences, including damage to the brain, kidneys, and other organs. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that can accumulate in the body over time and the exposure to this element has been linked to a variety of adverse health effects. Cadmium toxicity can lead to an imbalance in the cellular redox state and be a source of oxidative stress. On the molecular level, cadmium ions negatively affect cellular metabolism, including the disruption of energy production, protein synthesis, and DNA damage. The study has been carried out on a group of 140 school-age children (8 to 14 years old) inhabiting the industrialized areas of Upper Silesia. The study population was divided into two sub-groups based on the median concentration of cadmium in blood (0.27 µg/L): Low-CdB and High-CdB. Measured traits comprised blood cadmium levels (CdB) as well as a blood count and selected oxidative stress markers. This research study aimed to demonstrate a correlation between the impact of exposure to elevated cadmium concentrations in a population of children and certain markers of oxidative stress, and 25-OH vitamin D3 concentration. A negative correlation has been found between cadmium concentration and 25-OH vitamin D3 level, protein sulfhydryl groups content in blood serum, glutathione reductase activity, and lipofuscin and malondialdehyde levels in erythrocytes. The concentration of 25-OH vitamin D₃ in the High-CdB group was decreased by 23%. The oxidative stress indices can be considered a valuable indicator of early Cd-toxicity effects to be included in the routinely-applied cadmium exposure monitoring parameters, allowing the evaluation of stress intensity to the cell metabolism.

Keywords: cadmium; children; oxidative stress; vitamin D.

Figure 1

Overview of molecular mechanisms of cadmium toxicity and detoxication pathways in humans (based on [10]).

Figure 2

A three-dimensional PCA plot generated from principal component analysis (PCA) of the quantitative variables related to blood cadmium concentrations [µg/dL], concentration of lipofuscin (LPS), and 25-OH vitamin D concentration [ng/mL]. The blue dots indicate the data points corresponding to the Low-CdB (Cd level below median) subgroup, whereas the red dots correspond to the High-CdB (Cd value above median) subgroup.