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Satarug S. Is Environmental Cadmium Exposure Causally Related to Diabetes and Obesity? Cells 2023; 13:83. [PMID: 38201287 PMCID: PMC10778334 DOI: 10.3390/cells13010083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a pervasive toxic metal, present in most food types, cigarette smoke, and air. Most cells in the body will assimilate Cd, as its charge and ionic radius are similar to the essential metals, iron, zinc, and calcium (Fe, Zn, and Ca). Cd preferentially accumulates in the proximal tubular epithelium of the kidney, and is excreted in urine when these cells die. Thus, excretion of Cd reflects renal accumulation (body burden) and the current toxicity of Cd. The kidney is the only organ other than liver that produces and releases glucose into the circulation. Also, the kidney is responsible for filtration and the re-absorption of glucose. Cd is the least recognized diabetogenic substance although research performed in the 1980s demonstrated the diabetogenic effects of chronic oral Cd administration in neonatal rats. Approximately 10% of the global population are now living with diabetes and over 80% of these are overweight or obese. This association has fueled an intense search for any exogenous chemicals and lifestyle factors that could induce excessive weight gain. However, whilst epidemiological studies have clearly linked diabetes to Cd exposure, this appears to be independent of adiposity. This review highlights Cd exposure sources and levels associated with diabetes type 2 and the mechanisms by which Cd disrupts glucose metabolism. Special emphasis is on roles of the liver and kidney, and cellular stress responses and defenses, involving heme oxygenase-1 and -2 (HO-1 and HO-2). From heme degradation, both HO-1 and HO-2 release Fe, carbon monoxide, and a precursor substrate for producing a potent antioxidant, bilirubin. HO-2 appears to have also anti-diabetic and anti-obese actions. In old age, HO-2 deficient mice display a symptomatic spectrum of human diabetes, including hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, increased fat deposition, and hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soisungwan Satarug
- Kidney Disease Research Collaborative, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
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Saedi S, Watson SE, Young JL, Tan Y, Wintergerst KA, Cai L. Does maternal low-dose cadmium exposure increase the risk of offspring to develop metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes? Life Sci 2023; 315:121385. [PMID: 36634865 PMCID: PMC9912173 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.121385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium is a hazardous metal with multiple organ toxicity that causes great harm to human health. Cadmium enters the human body through occupational exposure, diet, drinking water, breathing, and smoking. Cadmium accumulation in the human body is associated with increased risk of developing obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Cadmium uptake is enhanced during pregnancy and can cross the placenta affecting placental development and function. Subsequently, cadmium can pass to fetus, gathering in multiple organs such as the liver and pancreas. Early-life cadmium exposure can induce hepatic oxidative stress and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, resulting in insulin resistance and glucose metabolic dyshomeostasis in the offspring. Prenatal exposure to cadmium is also associated with increasing epigenetic effects on the offspring's multi-organ functions. However, whether and how maternal exposure to low-dose cadmium impacts the risks of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the young and/or adult offspring remains unclear. This review collected available data to address the current evidence for the potential role of cadmium exposure, leading to insulin resistance and the development of T2D in offspring. However, this review reveals that underlying mechanisms linking prenatal cadmium exposure during pregnancy with T2D in offspring remain to be adequately investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saman Saedi
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Sara E Watson
- Pediatric Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, Norton Children's Hospital, Louisville, KY, USA; Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Norton Children's Hospital, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Jamie L Young
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; The Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Yi Tan
- Pediatric Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, Norton Children's Hospital, Louisville, KY, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Kupper A Wintergerst
- Pediatric Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, Norton Children's Hospital, Louisville, KY, USA; Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Norton Children's Hospital, Louisville, KY, USA; The Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Lu Cai
- Pediatric Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, Norton Children's Hospital, Louisville, KY, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; The Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
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Satarug S, Vesey DA, Gobe GC, Phelps KR. Estimation of health risks associated with dietary cadmium exposure. Arch Toxicol 2023; 97:329-358. [PMID: 36592197 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-022-03432-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In much of the world, currently employed upper limits of tolerable intake and acceptable excretion of cadmium (Cd) (ECd/Ecr) are 0.83 µg/kg body weight/day and 5.24 µg/g creatinine, respectively. These figures were derived from a risk assessment model that interpreted β2-microglobulin (β2MG) excretion > 300 μg/g creatinine as a "critical" endpoint. However, current evidence suggests that Cd accumulation reduces glomerular filtration rate at values of ECd/Ecr much lower than 5.24 µg/g creatinine. Low ECd/Ecr has also been associated with increased risks of kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, and other disorders. These associations have cast considerable doubt on conventional guidelines. The goals of this paper are to evaluate whether these guidelines are low enough to minimize associated health risks reliably, and indeed whether permissible intake of a cumulative toxin like Cd is a valid concept. We highlight sources and levels of Cd in the human diet and review absorption, distribution, kidney accumulation, and excretion of the metal. We present evidence for the following propositions: excreted Cd emanates from injured tubular epithelial cells of the kidney; Cd excretion is a manifestation of current tissue injury; reduction of present and future exposure to environmental Cd cannot mitigate injury in progress; and Cd excretion is optimally expressed as a function of creatinine clearance rather than creatinine excretion. We comprehensively review the adverse health effects of Cd and urine and blood Cd levels at which adverse effects have been observed. The cumulative nature of Cd toxicity and the susceptibility of multiple organs to toxicity at low body burdens raise serious doubt that guidelines concerning permissible intake of Cd can be meaningful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soisungwan Satarug
- Kidney Disease Research Collaborative, Level 5, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - David A Vesey
- Kidney Disease Research Collaborative, Level 5, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Department of Nephrology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Glenda C Gobe
- Kidney Disease Research Collaborative, Level 5, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for CKD QLD, UQ Health Sciences, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kenneth R Phelps
- Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA
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Satarug S. Editorial to Special Issue Toxic Metals, Chronic Diseases and Related Cancers. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10030125. [PMID: 35324750 PMCID: PMC8949475 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10030125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Soisungwan Satarug
- Kidney Disease Research Collaborative, Centre for Health Services Research, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
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Moulis JM, Nahoui-Zarouri I, Lénon M, Cottet-Rousselle C. Low-level cadmium doses do not jeopardize the insulin secretion pathway of β-cell models until the onset of cell death. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2021; 68:126834. [PMID: 34385036 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2021.126834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cadmium is an inescapable environmental pollutant that permeates the food chain and has been debatably associated with diabetes in humans. PURPOSE AND PROCEDURES To probe the specific impact of low-level cadmium exposure on insulin production, largely sub-cytotoxic (50-500 nM) concentrations of cadmium chloride challenged the INS-1 and MIN6 rodent models of pancreatic β-cells for the longest possible time, up to 4 days, before sub-culturing. MAIN FINDINGS The concentration of detectable oxidants, the pattern of the actin cytoskeleton, the translocation of β-catenin, the activity of protein phosphatases, calcium traffic, and the phosphorylation status of several key signaling nodes, such as AMP kinase and mitogen activated kinases including nuclear translocation of Extracellular signal-Regulated Kinase, were all insensitive to the applied very low cadmium doses. Accordingly, low-level cadmium exposure did not alter the insulin secretion ability, the functional hallmark of β-cells, before the onset of cell death. CONCLUSIONS These data define an operational toxicological threshold for these cellular models of β-cells that should be useful to address insulin secretion and the diabetogenic effects of chronic low-level cadmium exposure in animal models and in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marc Moulis
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, IRIG, 38000, Grenoble, France; Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INSERM U1055, Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Bioenergetics (LBFA), and Environmental and System Biology (BEeSy), 38000, Grenoble, France.
| | - Inès Nahoui-Zarouri
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INSERM U1055, Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Bioenergetics (LBFA), and Environmental and System Biology (BEeSy), 38000, Grenoble, France.
| | - Marine Lénon
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INSERM U1055, Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Bioenergetics (LBFA), and Environmental and System Biology (BEeSy), 38000, Grenoble, France.
| | - Cécile Cottet-Rousselle
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INSERM U1055, Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Bioenergetics (LBFA), and Environmental and System Biology (BEeSy), 38000, Grenoble, France.
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