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Bone mineral health is sensitively related to environmental cadmium exposure- experimental and human data.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Buha, Aleksandra 
Jugdaohsingh, Ravin  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8074-2992
Matovic, Vesna 
Bulat, Zorica 
Antonijevic, Biljana 

Abstract

Exposure to cadmium (Cd) is recognised as one of the risk factors for osteoporosis, although critical exposure levels and exact mechanisms are still unknown. Here, we first confirmed that in male Wistar rats challenged orally with 6 different levels of Cd (0.3-10 mg/kg b.w.), over 28 days, there was a direct dose relationship to bone Cd concentration. Moreover, bone mineral content was significantly diminished by ∼15% (p < 0.0001) plateauing already at the lowest exposure level. For the other essential bone elements zinc (Zn) loss was most marked. Having established the sensitive metrics (measures of Cd exposure), we then applied them to 20 randomly selected human femoral head bone samples from 16 independent subjects. Bone Cd concentration was inversely proportional to trabecular bone mineral density and mineral (calcium) content and Zn content of bone, but not the donor's age. Our findings, through direct bone analyses, support the emerging epidemiological view that bone health, adjudged by mineral density, is extremely sensitive to even background levels of environmental Cd. Importantly, however, our data also suggest that Cd may play an even greater role in compromised bone health than prior indirect estimates of exposure could reveal. Environmental Cd may be a substantially determining factor in osteoporosis and large cohort studies with direct bone analyses are now merited.

Description

Keywords

Bones, Cadmium, Human samples, Rats, Zinc, Animals, Bone Density, Bone and Bones, Cadmium, Environmental Exposure, Humans, Male, Minerals, Rats, Rats, Wistar

Journal Title

Environ Res

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0013-9351
1096-0953

Volume Title

176

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
Medical Research Council (MR/R005699/1)