Abstract
Even decades after the discovery of Cadmium (Cd) toxicity, research on this heavy metal is still a hot topic in scientific literature: as we wrote this review, more than 1440 scientific articles had been published and listed by the PubMed.gov website during 2017. Cadmium is one of the most common and harmful heavy metals present in our environment. Since pregnancy is a very particular physiological condition that could impact and modify essential pathways involved in the handling of Cd, the prenatal life is a critical stage for exposure to this non-essential element. To give the reader an overview of the possible mechanisms involved in the multiple organ toxic effects in fetuses after the exposure to Cd during pregnancy, we decided to compile some of the most relevant experimental studies performed in experimental models and to summarize the advances in this field such as the Cd distribution and the factors that could alter it (diet, binding-proteins and membrane transporters), the Cd-induced toxicity in dams (preeclampsia, fertility, kidney injury, alteration in essential element homeostasis and bone mineralization), in placenta and in fetus (teratogenicity, central nervous system, liver and kidney).
Highlights
Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most common and harmful transition metals present in our environment
It is believed that the absorption of Cd in the intestine is facilitated by different transporters, such as the Divalent Metal Transporter-1 (DMT-1), calcium channels, amino acid transporters, and by endocytosis of the cadmium-metallothionein (CdMT) complex [19,48]
Cd exposure during pregnancy has been associated with various effects on kidney, blood pressure and alterations of essential elements in the body, the latter being the cause of other pathologies in the mothers and fetuses
Summary
Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most common and harmful transition metals present in our environment This non-essential element is toxic at very low doses and non-biodegradable with a very long biological half-life. Whereas the molecular and cellular mechanisms of Cd toxicity are studied in great detail, as well as the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of Cd [2], many other aspects need to be elucidated considering the impact of Cd exposure. Numerous parameters are crucial to consider during the risk assessment of toxicants and environmental pollutants since they could intrinsically modify the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of these xenobiotics by the host organism. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the critical role of prenatal exposure to cadmium in the development of human individuals and its impact on public health. To give the reader an overview of the possible mechanisms involved in the multiple organ toxic effects in fetuses and dams after exposure to Cd during pregnancy, we decided to compile some of the most relevant experimental studies and summarize the advances in this field during the last decades
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