Cytokinetic Effect and Cytotoxic Action of Chromium Compound on Human Fibroblast in Culture

Abstract

Chromium is ubiquitous in nature, ranking fifteenth in the body of man. Chromium has been reported to be an environmental carcinogen. In The U.S., the use of chromium is mainly divided as follows: (1) metallurgical industries - 57%; (2) refractory materials - 30%; and (3) Chemistry Industry - 13%. The metabolism and toxicity of chromium has recently been described by D. Burrows (1983). Chromium compounds have been suspected as human carcinogens since 1932, but which compounds are the most potent carcinogens has not been known. Trivalent chromium compounds are not thought to increase incidence of lung cancer in man (Burrows 1983). Most animal studies have been carried out with hexavalent compounds. Attempts to produce bronchogenic carcinoma in mice by exposure to Chromates in inhalation chambers had been unsuccessful (Steffes and Baetjer 1965; Nettesheim et al. 1971). Some increase in pulmonary adenomas was observed in those studies. When calcium Chromate was implanted intrabronchially in rats by Laskin et al. (1970), a number of squamous carcinoma were induced in the lungs. Mutagenicity of chromium has been demonstrated in various prokaryotic systems (Petrilli et al. 1982). All hexavalent compounds are mutagenic, but not trivalent compounds. Cellular transformation by chromium (VI) compounds has been shown in rodent cells (Fradkin et al. 1975; Tsuda and Kato 1977). Clastogenic effect of chromium compounds has been demonstrated as induction of sister chromatic exchange and chromosomal aberration in mammalian cells (Tsuda and Kato 1977; Rainaldi et al. 1982; Bianchi et al. 1983).