Cadmium liver

In adults, a study of 75 autopsies of persons who had resided in a soft-water, leached soil region of North Carolina found a positive correlation between lead level in the aorta and death from heart-related disease (Voors et al. 1982). The association persisted after adjustment for the effect of age. A similar correlation was found between cadmium levels in the liver and death from heart-related disease. (Aortic lead and liver cadmium levels were considered to be suitable indices of exposure.) The effects of the two metals appeared to be additive. Potential confounding variables other than age were not included in the analysis. The investigators stated that fatty liver (indicative of alcohol consumption) and cigarette smoking did not account for the correlations between lead, cadmium and heart-disease death. 

BaP alone produced glycogen depletion in liver cadmium alone caused hepatic perivascular fibrosis. Mixture produced complete disorganization of the hepatic parenchyma, including nuclear degeneration higher increase in EROD activity (by 19-fold), BaP hydroxylase activity (by 71-fold), and cytochrome P-450 microsomal content by 2-fold... 

Some substances are particularly liable to damage certain organs e.g. hydrocarbon solvents may affect the liver, cadmium may damage the lungs or kidneys. 

Ellis, K.J., S.H. Cohn and T.J. Smith. Cadmium Inhalation Exposure Estimates Their Significance with Respect to Kidney and Liver Cadmium Burden. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health 15 173-187,1985. 

Ellis K, Cohn S, and Smith T. (1985). Cadmium inhalation exposure estimates Their significance with respect to kidney and liver cadmium burden. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, 15, 173-187. 

Mason H, Davison A, Wright A, Guthrie C, Payers P, Venables K, Smith N, Chettle D, Franklin D, Scott M, Holden H, Gompertz D, and Newman-Taylor A. (1988). Relations between liver cadmium, cumulative exposure, and renal function in cadmium alloy workers. British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 45, 793-802. 

Thomas BJ, Harvey TC, Chettle DR, McLellan JS, Fremlin JH (1979) A transportable system for the measurement of liver cadmium in vivo. Phys. Med. Biol. 24 432-437... 

Vartsky D, Ellis KJ, Chen NS, Cohn SH (1977) A facility for in vivo measurement of kidney and liver cadmium by neutron capture prompt gamma ray analysis. Phys. Med. Biol. 22 1085-1096... 

Solutions in contact with polyvinyl chloride can become contaminated with trace amounts of lead, titanium, tin, zinc, iron, magnesium or cadmium from additives used in the manufacture and moulding of PVC. V-Phenyl-2-naphthylamine is a contaminant of solvents and biological materials that have been in contact with black rubber or neoprene (in which it is used as an antioxidant). Although it was only an artefact of the separation procedure it has been isolated as an apparent component of vitamin K preparations, extracts of plant lipids, algae, livers, butter, eye tissue and kidney tissue [Brown Chem Br 3 524 1967]. 

Cadmium is extremely toxic and accumulates in humans mainly in the kidneys and liver prolonged intake, even of very small amounts, leads to dysfunction of the kidneys. It acts by binding to the —SH group of cysteine residues in proteins and so inhibits SH enzymes. It can also inhibit the action of zinc enzymes by displacing the zinc. 

Metallothioneins are a group of small proteins (about 6.5 kDa), found in the cytosol of cells, particularly of liver, kidney, and intestine. They have a high content of cysteine and can bind copper, zinc, cadmium, and mercury. The SH groups of cysteine are involved in binding the metals. Acute intake (eg, by injection) of copper and of certain other metals increases the amount (induction) of these proteins in tissues, as does administration of certain hormones or cytokines. These proteins may function to store the above metals in a nontoxic form and are involved in their overall metaboHsm in the body. Sequestration of copper also diminishes the amount of this metal available to generate free radicals. 

Evenson, M. A. and Anderson, C. T., Jr. Ultramlcro Analysis for Copper, Cadmium and Zinc In Human Liver Tissue by Use of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry and the Heated Graphite Tube Atomizer". Clin. Chem. (1975), 2, 537-543. 

Munoz, A., Laib, F., Petering, D.H. and Shaw, C.F. Ill (1999) Characterization of the cadmium complex of peptide 49-61 a putative nudeation center for cadmium-induced folding in rabbit liver metallothionein IIA. Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, 4, 495—507. 

Gerhardsson L, Brune D, Nordberg GF, et al. 1986a. Distribution of cadmium, lead, and zinc in lung, liver, and kidney in long-term exposed smelter workers. Sci Total Environ 50 65-85. 

Cadmium is nutritionally non-essential, toxic and a ubiquitous environmental pollutant. It is found in leafy vegetables, grains and cereals, and since it is present in substantial amounts in tobacco leaves, cigarette smokers on a packet a day can easily double their cadmium intake. It has a long biological half-life (17-30 years in man), accumulates in liver and kidneys and its toxicity involves principally kidney and bone (Goyer, 1997).While Cd interferes primarily with calcium, it also interacts with zinc and can induce the synthesis of metallothionein. Cadmium bound to metallothionein in liver or kidney is thought to be non-toxic, but cadmium in plasma... 

---