Background

An essential element imbalance in the joint might favor gradual degeneration of the articular cartilage. It has been reported that cadmium (Cd) plays an antagonistic role with regards to the presence of essential elements, such as zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn), which may favor the development of disabling diseases, like osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis.

Methods

3D cultures of human chondrocytes were phenotyped with the Western blot technique and structurally evaluated with histological staining. The samples were exposed to 1, 5, and 10 μM of CdCl2 for 12 h, with a non-exposed culture as control. The concentration of Cd, Fe, Mn, Zn, chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) was quantified through plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The data were analyzed with a Kruskal Wallis test, a Kendall’s Tau test and Spearman’s correlation coefficient with the Stata program, version 14.

Results

Our results suggest that Cd exposure affects the structure of micromass cultures and plays an antagonistic role on the concentration of essential metals, such as Zn, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Cr.

Conclusion

Cd exposure may be a risk factor for developing joint diseases like OA, as it can interfere with cartilage absorption of other essential elements that maintain cartilage homeostasis.

中文翻译：

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镉对人体软骨细胞微团培养中必需金属浓度的影响。

背景

关节中的基本元素不平衡可能有利于关节软骨的逐渐退化。据报道，镉 (Cd) 在必需元素如锌 (Zn)、铁 (Fe) 和锰 (Mn) 的存在方面起着拮抗作用，这些元素可能有利于致残疾病的发展，例如骨关节炎 (OA) 和骨质疏松症。

方法

人类软骨细胞的 3D 培养物使用蛋白质印迹技术进行表型分析，并通过组织学染色进行结构评估。将样品暴露于 1、5 和 10 μM 的 CdCl2 中 12 小时，以未暴露的培养物作为对照。Cd、Fe、Mn、Zn、铬 (Cr) 和镍 (Ni) 的浓度通过等离子体质谱法 (ICP-MS) 进行定量。使用 Kruskal Wallis 检验、Kendall's Tau 检验和 Spearman 相关系数与 Stata 程序第 14 版对数据进行分析。

结果

我们的结果表明，Cd 暴露会影响微团培养物的结构，并对必需金属（如 Zn、Ni、Fe、Mn 和 Cr）的浓度起拮抗作用。

结论

镉暴露可能是发展为 OA 等关节疾病的危险因素，因为它会干扰维持软骨稳态的其他基本元素的软骨吸收。