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.

In the present study, higher cadmium concentrations (100 and 150 µM) decreased the expression levels of the cytokines in the normal and cancer cells (Figs. 2 and 3) . Higher concentrations of cadmium induced higher levels of reactive oxygen species, which degrade macromolecules, including proteins and DNA (12, 13, 36) . The low expression levels of the IL-1α and IL-10 cytokines in each cell line may also be linked to the toxic effect of unbound cadmium in the cells, as a result of the lack of metallothionein protein. This result is consistent with a previous study, which reported inhibition of the expression of IL-1α in rat hepatocytes following treatment with high concentrations of CdCl 2 (32) . In addition, longer exposure durations may also be a factor in causing higher toxicity, as decreased expression of cytokines were observed with increased incubation durations in the present study (Figs. 2 and 3) . The longer exposure duration led to the accumulation of cadmium inside of the cell, which in turn causes decreased cytokine levels leading to cell death.