Effect of cadmium on the expression levels of interleukin-1a and interleukin-10 cytokines in human lung cells

ODEWUMI, CAROLINE; LATINWO, LEKAN M.; SINCLAIR, ANDRE; BADISA, VEERA L.D.; ABDULLAH, AHKINYALA; BADISA, RAMESH B.

Cadmium is a hazardous environmental pollutant with economic value, however no known biological function. It is an industrial toxicant, which has been classified as a type I carcinogen (1, 2) . It is a highly reactive metal and complexes with ligands to form different compounds, which affect numerous biological molecules and organs (3) . A significant quantity of cadmium is introduced into the environment through anthropogenic activities, including copper and nickel smelting, electroplating, galvanizing, nickel-cadmium battery production, welding, phosphate fertilizers, sewage sludge and cigarette smoke (3, 4) . The toxicokinetics of cadmium depend on the form of cadmium, the dose, the time of exposure and the accumulation in the affected organ (5, 6) . Cadmium can be observed in all organs of the body; however, the majority accumulates in the lungs, liver and kidney (7, 8) . Although the level of cadmium exposure to humans is low, it can accumulate and remain in the system for 15-30 years (9) (10) (11) , which is responsible for the toxicity in various organs. Cadmium molecular toxicity has been associated with various diseases, including tumor formation.