• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.108-114
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• 2008

Objectives : To estimate the normal range of blood and urine cadmium levels using data from occupationally non-exposed office workers to cadmium in selected Korean women. Methods : A total of 437 women from healthy office workers were analyzed. To analyze blood and urine cadmium levels, blood and urine samples of study subjects were collected carefully and analyzed. Using a structured questionnaire, characteristics of the study subjects were investigated by well trained interviewers. Results : Mean blood cadmium concentration (CdB) was $0.46\;{\mu}g/{\ell}$ (GM; 0.16), whereas mean urine cadmium concentration (CdU) was $0.94\;{\mu}g/g$ creatinine (GM; 0.37). A significant increase of cadmium levels in blood and urine was observed by the rise of age (p=0.007; p=0.002, respectively). In the analysis of smoking state, blood and urine cadmium levels were higher in current smokers than in nonsmokers. In the multiple regression analysis, the rise of age and currently smoking were observed as a significant factor associated with cadmium level. Conclusion : These findings suggest that mean cadmium level in blood and urine indicated a relatively low level, although the rise of age and currently smoking were observed as a significant factor related to cadmium level. It can be used for the basic data to prevent harmful effects of cadmium exposure among female workers occupationally exposed to cadmium.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.384-392
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of green tea catechin on the cadmium accumulation in body, cadmium excretion and detoxification functions in chronic cadmium poisoned rats. Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing 100$\pm$10g were randomly assigned to one normal group and three cadmium poisoned groups. Cadmium groups were classified to catechin free diet (Cd-0C group), 0.25% catechin diet(Cd-0.25C group) and 0.5% catechin diet(Cd-0.5C group) according to the levels of catechin supplement. Animals were maintained on 0, 0.25 and 0.5% catechin diets for 20 weeks and simultaneously administered 50ppm Cd(sup)2+ dissolved in the drinking water. Body weight, food intakes and food efficiency ratio in Cd-0C group was lower than the normal group. The accumulation of cadmium in rat liver, kidney, and blood was reduced by catechin supplementation. The excretion of cadmium in urine and feces was increased by catechin supplementation. The metallothionein(MT) contents in liver and kidney were increased in all cadmium groups compared with that of normal group. The ratios of cadmium absorption and retention ratios were significantly decreased in catechin supplementation groups. Accordingly, catechin supplementation resulted to an excretion of cadmium in urine and feces and a lowered accumulation of cadmium in liver and kidney by increasing methallothionein synthesis that led to the significant decrease in cadmium absorption and retention ratios.(Korean J Nutrition 34(4) : 384~392, 2001)

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 2000

Which sublethal cadmium pretreatment may prevent from lethal cadmium's killing mice and which cadmium pretreatment-induced protection against cadmium lethality to mice may be related with their hepatic glutathione contents were investigated. When cadmium chloride was subcutaneously injected to mice (ICR strain) at various doses, all mice died, which treated with cadmium at dose of 300 $\mu$moles/kg or more, and none died, which treated with cadmium at dose of 80 $\mu$moles/kg or less. Subcutaneous pretreatment of sublethal cadmium decreased sacrifice of mice which subsequently injected with lethal cadmium, with most effectiveness at pretreatment dose of cadmium of 40 $\mu$moles/kg b.w. and at 48 hours of interval between sublethal cadmium pretreatment and lethal cadmium treatment. Even if a great part of the cadmium-pretreated mice were sacrificed while treated with lethal cadmium, they survived longer than the non-pretreated mice. Sublethal cadmium pretreatment (40 $\mu$moles/kg b.w.) 48 hours before lethal cadmium treatment to mice didn't decrease hepatic glutathione contents of the survived mice, while decreases in the glutathione in livers were observed in the mice just after died. These results indicate that sublethal cadmium pretreatment-induced protection against cadmium lethality to mice may be related to their hepatic glutathione contents. [Cd pretreatment, Cd lethality, Hepatic glutathione contents].

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.268-273
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• 1996

An extremely cadmium tolerant yeast, Hansenula anomala B-7 used to determine the modification of the intracellular enzyme activities by cadmium ion. The activities of alcohol dehydrogenase, phosphofructokinase, and cytidine deaminase were decreased up to 90%, 40%, and 86% compa- red with the control by 1 mM cadmium nitrate respectively, but the activities of malate dehydrogenase, 6- phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, cytochrome c oxidase, and alkaline phosphatase were increased up to 440%, 136%, 260% and 155% compared with the control by 1 mM cadmium nitrate respectively. These results show that the activities of the enzymes participating in Embden-Mayerhof pathway (e.g. anaerobic metabolism) were reduced by cadmium, but those involved in hexose monophosphate pathway and tricarboxylic acid cycle (e.g. aerobic metabolism) were stimulated in contrast. It has been suggested that the diminished activity of cytidine deaminase in pyrimidine nucleotide dissimilation occured due to the inhibited nucleotide dissimilation by cadmium ion; the enhanced activity of cytochrome c oxidase was specifically required in order to oxidize a raised amount of NADH and NADPH due to the increased aerobic metabolism.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.3 no.3_4
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• pp.1-8
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• 1988

Experiment was performed to investigate the immunotoxicity of cadmium administered orally and the effect of ginseng petroleum ether fraction on it. Mice were given 3, 30, or 300 ppm cadmium as cadmium chloride orally in the drinking water and injection of ginseng petroleum ether fraction intraperitoneally for 4 weeks. Mice were sensitized and challenged u'ith sheep red blood cells (5-HBC). Immune response was evaluated by delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH), Rosette forming cell (RFC), phagocyte activity, and natural killer cell activity (NK cell activity). In the present study, cadmium suppressed the cellular immunity, It also depressed phagocyte activity very significantly in all cadmium-administered groups, NK cell activity in the cadmium-300 ppm administered group. Ginseng petroleum ether fraction showed restoring effect on the decrease in RFC by cadmium-administration. Remarkably, it showed very significant restoring effect on the depression of phagocyte activity induced by cadmium-administration. From this result, we suppose that the anti-tumor effect of ginseng ether or petroleum ether extract, which has been reported by some other researchers, is mainly due to the increase of phagocyte activity by it's administration.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.235-239
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• 1995

This study was conducted to investigate the metallothionein (MT) induction by Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer in cadmium chloride intoxication. The results were as follows: Generally, detoxicatlon effects by Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer extract increased proportionally to the increase of cadmium concentrations. When a 8 mg/g dosage of cadmium was administered, formation of the cadmium and EDTA complex showed the highest antitoxic effect. Also, when a 4 mg/g dosage of cadmium was administered, Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer extract showed the highest antitoxic effect in metallothionein induction. According to the above results, Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer extract administered with cadmium increased metallothionein concentration and decreased the toxicity of cadmium in liver.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2004

Casapse-3 protease is known as a key role of apoptotic enzyme, and caspase-3 activity is a central event that occurs upstream of DNA fragmentation during apoptosis. This study demonstrates that chitosan pretreatment inhibits cadmium-induced apoptosis by attenuating the activity of caspase-3. We also analyzed the protective effect of chitosan on DNA fragmentation induced by cadmium. Cadmium toxicity was examined by DNA fragmentation and nuclear condensation with Hoechst stain. Caspase-3 activities were increased cadmium treated group for 3 hours compared with control. When chitosan (150 mg/ml) was pretreated at 30 min before cadmium treatment, cadmium cytotoxicity was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner evaluated by DNA fragmentation and caspase activity. From these results, it is suggest that the protective effect of chitosan pretreatment against cadmium-induced cytotoxicity is mediated through inhibition of caspase-3 protease activation and DNA fragmentation.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2002

Histopathological changes and cadmium accumulations in the gills were investigated in crucian carp (Carassius auratus) exposed to 0, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5 mg/1 cadmium (Cd) concentrations for 25 days. After 25 days of exposure. cadmium accumulations increased in each of the different exposure concentrations. Histopathological changes in the gills of curcian carp exposed to cadmium included the acidification of mucous cell, the terminal clubbing of lamellae, the hyperplasia of epitherial cell and the curved of secondary lamellae. The similar histopathological changes were observed once the accumulations of cadmium reached the similar levels found in the present study with the different exposure schemes. Also the acidification of mucous cell in gills appeared when cadmium accumulations reached 5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/g and more. These results suggested that histopathological changes in the gills, an appearance of mucous cell acidification. be used to estimate the relation between toxic effect and cadmium accumulations in the gills.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.13 no.1_2
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• pp.11-17
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• 1998

Cadmium, a major aquatic pollutant in many parts of the world, is toxic and readily accumulated in aquatic organisms. It mainly exists in water as complexes with organic ligands such as dissolved organic carbon and this complexation is known to have effects on the aquatic toxicities. In this study, acute toxicity, histology, and bioaccumulation were studied to evaluate effects of humic acid on cadmium toxicity and bioavailability to fish using Oryzias lalipes and Cyprinus carpio. 96h-LC$_{50}$ of cadmium was 6.38mg/L using Oryzias latipes. However, the mortality showed the dose-dependent decrease when humic acid was added to the test solution. When fish were exposed to 5 mg/L of cadmium, histological changes in the exposed organs (caudal fins, gills, kidney, liver, and gut) of C~lprinus carpio were decreased by humic acid, especially in kidney and liver. Bioaccumulation of cadmium also decreased by treatment of humic acid. It seems that the formation of complexes between cadmium and humic acid may decrease bioavailability of cadmium to fish, and thus reduce the toxic effects of cadmium.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.383-390
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• 1998

Bacillus subtilis DT134 was resistant to 50-fold higher concentration of cadmium ions (Cd2+) than cadmium-sensitive B. subtilis BD224 in Luria Broth (LB) medium. Minimal inhibition concentration test in LB agar plates also showed similar results. The elevated cadmium resistance of B. subtilis DT134 strongly suggested a possible existence of cadmium resistance gene in it. Southern blot with Staphylococcus aureus cadA gene fragment (757 bp NlaIV-XmnI cadA DNA fragment) as probe was carried out to test the existence and similarity of the gene. In high stringency condition, there was no detectable signal, but in low stringency, a strong signal specific to the cadA probe could be detected. These results strongly suggested that there was some similarity between total DNA of B. subtilis DT134 and S. aureus pl258 in terms of cadmium resistance gene and the resistance mechanism might be an efflux mechanism. The subsequent efflux experiment showed that the cadmium resistance mechanism of B. subtilis DT134 was also due to the efflux of cadmium.