• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.279-286
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• 2004

Although numerous studies have shown that cadmium disturbs the normal biological processes in central nervous system, the mechanism of toxicity is not well understood. The present study has investigated the effect of cadmium on oxidative stress, Na$^{+}$K$^{+}$ ATPase activity and the aggregation of amyloid beta peptide ($\beta$-amyloid) in neuronal cell line, HT22 cell. LC$_{5}$ and LC$_{50}$ of cadmium for HT22 cell resulted from MTT assay was 4.1 uM and 9.5 uM, respectively. Cadmium (2 to 8 uM) dose-dependently increased the lipid peroxidation and decreased the content of glutathione. Cadmium 4 uM showed a significant decrease in Na$^{+}$/K $^{+}$ ATPase activity as compared with control group. The aggregation of $\beta$-amyloid was accelerated in a dose-dependent manner by the treatment with 2 to 8 uM cadmium. These results suggest that the neurotoxicity of cadmium can be mediated by the increase in oxidative stress and decrease in Na$^{+}$/K$^{+}$ ATPase activity.se activity.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.91-101
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• 1996

Exposure indices are important tools which enable scientists to reliably predict and detect exposures to xenobiotics and resultant cell injury. Since the de novo synthesis of stress proteins can be detected early after exposure to some agents, analysis of toxicant-induced changes in gene expression, i.e. alterations in patterns of protein synthesis, may be useful to develop as biomarkers of exposure and toxicity. The acute and chronic effects of cadmium(Cd, $CdCl_2$ 20 mg/kg) on Wistar male rats were evaluated concerning cadmium contents, tissues enzyme activity, HSP expression. The results of the study were as follows: 1. Less cadmium was absorbed through the digestive tracts, but the ratio of contents in renal to hepatic cadmium was higher at 8 weeks after treatment. 2. ALT(alanine aminotransferase), AST(aspartate aminotransferase), glucose, BUN(blood urea nitrogen), creatinine, the key indices of the clinical changes in hepatic and renal function were significantly changed by the cadmium treatment after 1 week in liver, after 4 weeks in kidney. 3. Enhanced synthesis of 70 KDa relative molecular mass proteins were detected in 2 hours after cadmium exposure, with maximum activity occurring at 8~48 hours. Induction of $HSP_{70}$ was evident at proximal tubules and glomeruli in kidney. Testicular cells produced enough HSP to be detected normally. From the above results, it could be concluded that $HSP_{70}$ induction by the cadmium treatment was a rapid reaction to indicate the exposure of xenobiotics.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cadmium is a toxic metal that is an occupational and environmental concern especially because of its human carcinogenicity; it induces serious adverse effects in various organs and tissues. Even low levels of exposure to cadmium could be harmful owing to its extremely long half-life in the body. Cadmium intoxication may be prevented by the consumption of dietary components that potentially reduce its accumulation in the body. Dietary chitosan is a polysaccharide derived from animal sources; it has been known for its ability to bind to divalent cations including cadmium, in addition to other beneficial effects including hypocholesterolemic and anticancer effects. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of dietary chitosan in reducing cadmium accumulation using an in vivo system. MATERIALS/METHODS: Cadmium was administered orally at 2 mg (three times per week) to three groups of Sprague-Dawley rats: control, low-dose, and high-dose (0, 3, and 5%, respectively) chitosan diet groups for eight weeks. Cadmium accumulation, as well as tissue functional and histological changes, was determined. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, rats fed the chitosan diet showed significantly lower levels of cadmium in blood and tissues including the kidneys, liver, and femur. Biochemical analysis of liver function including the determination of aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin levels showed that dietary chitosan reduced hepatic tissue damage caused by cadmium intoxication and prevented the associated bone disorder. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that dietary chitosan has the potential to reduce cadmium accumulation in the body as well as protect liver function and bone health against cadmium intoxication.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.23-27
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• 2006

The rate of metallothionein synthesis on cadmium-poisoned rats reflects the level of toxicity, and also it reduces the toxicity which is caused by the uptake of cadmium. Chlorella supplementation in the diets of the cadmium-poisoned rats decreased the concentration of cadmium in blood and urine compared with the control group. Although the liver and kidneys of rats are major target organs of cadmium and coherence of metallothionein and cadmium, no previous study has determined the correlation between the rate of metallothionein synthesis in the liver and kidneys of rats and dietary supplementation of chlorella with cadmium uptake. This study analyzed total metallothionein level on the tissue of the liver and kidneys, the concentration of cadmium bound to the metallothionein, and the total concentration of cadmium on the tissue of the liver and kidneys after dietary supplementation with 1%, 5%, and 10% dried chlorella and 40 ppm of cadmium to 46 male SD rats (mean weight: $150\pm20\;g$) for 4 weeks. According to the data analysis of the total rate of metallothionein synthesis in the liver and kidneys, the group of SD rats on the supplementation with 1% chlorella and 40 ppm of cadmium showed a rate of $93.2\pm8.9\;ng/g$, a significant decrease of 58.8% compared to that of the control group of SD rats on the supplementation with cadmium only, which showed a rate of $227.3\pm32.5 ng/g$ (P=0.0001). In contrast, no significant difference was observed through the changing of chlorella concentrations between 5% and 10% chlorella supplementation with cadmium. The group supplemented with 1% or greater chlorella levels represented a greater decrease in the total cadmium concentration of the kidney and liver tissues, the amount of total metallothionein synthesis, the amount of metallothionein with binding to cadmium, and the concentration of free cadmium without binding to metallothionein. Consequently, the supplementation of 1% and 5% chlorella was effective in reducing the synthesis of metallothionein for cadmium uptake, but increased the rate of binding of cadmium to metallothionein.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1041-1045
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• 2019

In this study, the KS A ISO Guide 35 was applied to develop analytical standards for heavy metal cadmium using the Korean mussel (Mytilus coruscus) and to evaluate the homogeneity and stability of the sample. Some of the crucial characteristics that reference materials must consist include homogeneity and stability of both intra- and inter-bottles. We tested homogeneity using ANOVA analysis and short-term stability using regression analysis. The variations of cadmium concentrations did not significantly differ between intra- and inter-bottles (F=0.41, p=0.90). For short-term stability verification, cadmium analysis results were not statistically significant as a result of the regression analysis (significance F=0.51, p=0.53). This suggests that we can not dismiss the null hypothesis that there is no significant variation in concentrations of cadmium over time. These results indicated that the cryogenic-milling process has statistically proven the short-term stability for materials from mussels in the chemical analysis of cadmium. Therefore, we propose that the Korean mussel's reference material developed for the proficiency test could be used as a tool to evaluate reliability and consistency in laboratories.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.535-543
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• 2019

Objectives: Internal exposure to certain heavy metals is thought to be associated with periodontitis. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the relationship between blood levels of heavy metals and periodontitis among the Korean population. Methods: Data from the 2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was analyzed. A total of 1,968 adults aged 19 years or above were included. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between blood lead levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury, and periodontitis. Confounders such as sex, age, brushing frequency, smoking, etc. were adjusted. Results: Blood levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury showed a significant relationship with periodontitis in a crude model of logistic regression analysis. However, participants with the highest blood levels of cadmium showed higher risk of periodontitis, than those with lower blood levels of cadmium (OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.11-2.70) after adjusting for the confounders. Conclusions: High blood levels of cadmium may be associated with periodontitis among the Korean population.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.193-202
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• 2009

In this study, we analyzed the blood cadmium concentration in general population of Korea, and followed the analyses the relations with epidemiologic factors, life-style and body iron store. The geometric mean concentration of blood cadmium was 1.20 ${\mu}g/L$ in study subject, the level of blood cadmium was higher in female (1.27 ${\mu}g/L$) than in male (1.11 ${\mu}g/L$). The mean concentration of blood cadmium was the highest in coastal area (1.80 ${\mu}g/L$) and followed in urban (1.01 ${\mu}g/L$) and rural area (0.90 ${\mu}g/L$). The cadmium concentration in whole blood was increased with age-dependent pattern, such as 0.64 ${\mu}g/L$ in the below 30 years, 0.95 ${\mu}g/L$ in the 30~44 years, 1.28 ${\mu}g/L$ in the 45~59 years and 1.31 ${\mu}g/L$ in the over 60 years. The level of blood cadmium was higher in smokers than in non-smokers, but was not significant by alcoholic habit. The blood cadmium level was different from occupations, which was the highest in the fishers as 1.87 ${\mu}g/L$. The inversed relation was observed between blood cadmium and serum Fe, while was correlated positively with the ferritin level. In summary, the environmental exposure to cadmium in Korean is not so much compared to other countries, and the blood cadmium is influenced by genetic factors (age and sex), life-styles (dietary habit, occupation and smoking habit) and nutrition such as serum iron.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2012

Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between proximity to an industrial complex and blood lead levels and urinary cadmium levels. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey and analyzed blood lead and urinary cadmium levels using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAs). Data was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. All statistical analyses were conducted with SAS software version 9.2. The distance between the residence and an industrial complex was calculated through a Geographical Information System (GIS). Results: A total of 967 residents living near a large petrochemical complex in Ulsan participated. The geometric mean levels of blood lead and urinary cadmium were $1.70{\mu}g/dl$ (male: $1.77{\mu}g/dl$, female: $1.67{\mu}g/dl$), and $0.72{\mu}g/g$ creatinine (male: $0.49{\mu}g/g$ cr. female: $0.89{\mu}g/g$ cr.), respectively. Blood lead and urinary cadmium levels both increased with age and were higher among smokers compared to never smokers. Both significantly showed a decreasing trend with rising income. Results from multiple logistic regression analysis showed that urinary cadmium levels for subjects aged less than 20 years old were negatively associated with distance from the industrial area to the residence. The results, however, indicated that the blood lead levels were positively associated with the distance. Conclusions: The results of this study support that proximity to an industrial complex is related to urinary cadmium values for children. A positive finding with blood lead can be explained by the ambiguity of lead exposure sources in the general environment.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.291-297
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• 2017

This study was performed to investigate the dose-response relationship between average daily cadmium dose (ADCD) from rice and the occurrence of urinary cadmium (U-Cd) in individuals eating that rice. This was a retrospective cohort designed to compare populations from two areas with different levels of cadmium contamination. Five-hundred and sixty-seven participants aged 18 years or older were interviewed to estimate their rice intake, and were assessed for U-Cd. The sources of consumed rice were sampled for cadmium measurement, from which the ADCD was estimated. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the association between ADCD and U-Cd (cut-off point at $2{\mu}g/g$ creatinine), and a correlation between them was established. The lowest estimate was $ADCD=0.5{\mu}g/kg\;bw/day$ [odds ratio (OR) = 1.71; with a 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-2.87]. For comparison, the relationship in the contaminated area is expressed by $ADCD=0.7{\mu}g/kg\;bw/day$, OR = 1.84; [95 % CI, 1.06-3.19], while no relationship was found in the non-contaminated area, meaning that the highest level at which this relationship does not exist is $ADCD=0.6{\mu}g/kg\;bw/day$ [95% CI, 0.99-2.95]. Rice, as a main staple food, is the most likely source of dietary cadmium. Abstaining from or limiting rice consumption, therefore, will increase the likelihood of maintaining U-Cd within the normal range. As the recommended maximum ADCD is not to exceed $0.6{\mu}g/kg\;bw/day$, the consumption of rice grown in cadmium-contaminated areas should not be more than 246.8 g/day. However, the exclusion of many edible plants grown in the contaminated area from the analysis might result in an estimated ADCD that does not reflect the true level of cadmium exposure among local people.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 1999

Serratia marcescens, an enterobacterium of gram-negative bacteria, is characterized by resistance of the admium. Cadmium sensitive PM strain did not grow in the medium at cadmium concentration of 50 ppm. PA strain was induced to accommodate to cadmium by cultivating the mother strain (PC strain) in the medium with 50 ppm cadmium. As compared with PC and PM strains, PA strain revealed the excellent growth in cadmium media and accumulated four to five times higher cadmium concentration in cell than other strains. PA strain accumulated 23% of cadmium in cells when cultured in medium treated with 100 ppm cadmium and this cadmium was more accumulated in cytosol fractions than membrane fractions. Analysis by TEM indicated that cadmium was concentrated as a form of granule in cytosol. In protein patterns of cell after the treatment of cadmium, two inducible proteins (28 KDa and 64 KDa) and one reducible protein (45 KDa) were detected by SDS-PAGE. By Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, the amounts of cadmium attached to inducible proteins of 28 KDa and 64 KDa were 318.28 ㎍ and 325.37 ㎍ per gram of protein, respectively. It is assumed that these inducible proteins play an important role in the mechanism of cadmium accumulation in cells. A plasmid of 23Kbp was found in S. marcescens. The ability of resistance to cadmium in plasmid was confirmed by curing experiments.