ICP/OES Application for Assessing Cadmium Uptake(or Toxicity) in Glomerular Cells: Influence of Extracellular Calcium

摘要

Metals, particularly heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), lead, and mercury, constitute potential threats to human health in both occupational (metallurgical and plating industries, manufacturing processes of various pigments and compounds) and environmental settings. Cadmium was listed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry (ATSDR) among the top eight of the most hazardous substances in the environment. Due to persistence in the environment, the general population may be exposed by ingestion of contaminated water, food, and additionally by cigarette smoke. Cd affects numerous functions and has a long elimination half-life of 10-30 yr. Previous studies showed that Cd concentrations in the micromolar range are present in the plasma filtrate of exposed individuals, resulting in mainly renal functional changes (Ellis, 1985; Goering et al., 1996). Some authors revealed a link between renal cell carcinoma and occupational Cd exposures (Pesch et al., 2000; Hu et al., 2002). The proximal tubule is the major site of renal injury but Cd has other targets in the kidney, renal vasculature and glomerulus (Roels et al., 1989; Templeton & Chaitu, 1990). The impact of various factors involved in renal diseases is not clearly understood and the use of cell culture systems has greatly facilitated our knowledge. Interest has been aroused in the potential link between metal accumulation and toxicity. Sensitive analytical methods are needed to detect low Cd concentrations in biological samples. Thus, it is important to establish an optimized direct assay method to detect and correlate in vitro Cd accumulation and cellular toxicity.