engleski

Cadmium in placenta – a valuable biomarker of exposure during pregnancy in biomedical research

The authors have presented their own results on cadmium exposure and effects in rat pregnancy and postpartum women where placental cadmium was the underpinning marker of exposure. Rats were exposed to cadmium during pregnancy orally [50 ppm Cd in drink from gestation day (GD) 1-20] or parenterally (5 mg/kg s.c. from GD 1-19 or on GD 16). Cadmium levels were measured in blood, placenta, and foetus at the end of exposure. Human studies comprised two cohorts of healthy Croatian postpartum women in the continental vs. coastal area where cadmium levels were measured in maternal blood, placenta, and cord blood. Cadmium in rat placenta was tenfold higher by parenteral than oral exposure with highest value after acute exposure in mid pregnancy. The values were tenfold higher than in rat blood and in foetus ≤10% of blood cadmium value. Cadmium levels in human placenta confirmed increased values in smokers that were 10-20 times higher than in maternal blood and in cord blood very low (<0.1 ppb). In non-smokers, different cadmium levels in placenta and blood in coastal vs. continental area indicated higher cadmium intake via diet. We show that cadmium in placenta is a reliable biomarker of exposure in biomedical research of oral and parenteral exposure during rat pregnancy and in human biomonitoring that encompasses prenatal assessment. Besides confirming tobacco smoking as the most important source of cadmium exposure, cadmium level in placenta is also a valuable biomarker of cadmium dietary exposure related to specific dietary habits and soil characteristics.

biomarker of exposure; cadmium; placenta; pregnancy; postpartum woman; mother rat

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