Concentrations Of Cadmium Chloride Research Articles

Cadmium exposure alters steroid receptors and proinflammatory cytokine levels in endothelial cells in vitro: a potential mechanism of endocrine disruptor atherogenic effect.

Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental pollutant that causes alterations in human health acting as endocrine disruptor. Recent data suggest that cardiovascular system might be a contamination target tissue, since Cd is found in atheromatic plaques. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the consequence of Cd exposure of endothelial cells in vitro to evaluate detrimental effect in vascular system by a potential sex-steroid hormone receptor-dependent mechanism(s). To this aim, Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) were cultured and exposed to several concentrations of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) for different interval times. CdCl2 exposure of HUVECs induced a significant increase of ERβ and Cyp19a1 at both mRNA and protein levels, while a drastic dose-dependent decrease of AR expression level was observed after 24h of exposure. On the contrary, an increase of PhARser308 as well as a reduction of PhGSK-3βser9 and PhAKTser473 was detected after 1h treatment. This effect was consistently reduced by GSK inhibition. Furthermore, CdCl2 abolished DHT-induced cell proliferation in HUVECs suggesting an antagonist-like effect of Cd on AR-mediated signaling. Remarkable, after 6h CdCl2-treatment, a relevant increase in TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA was observed and this effect was blocked by the presence of an ERβ-selective antagonist. Moreover, Cd-induced TxR1 overexpression, likely, correlated with the activation of p38 MAPK/NF-κB pathway. In conclusion, our study demonstrates for the first time that Cd alters sex-steroid hormone receptors level and activity likely affecting intracellular signaling linked to a proinflammatory state in endothelial cells. This alteration might possibly lead to endothelial cell injury and vascular dysfunction and could be a mechanism of gender-specific atherogenic damages induced by endocrine disruptors and, thus, induce atherogenic events with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in individuals exposed to this endocrine disruptor.

93P - Decreasing telomerase activity of adenocarcinoma cancer cell line (AGS) is associated with different concentrations of sodium selenite and cadmium chloride and selenium l methionine

93P - Decreasing telomerase activity of adenocarcinoma cancer cell line (AGS) is associated with different concentrations of sodium selenite and cadmium chloride and selenium l methionine

Transcription factor E3 protects against cadmium-induced apoptosis by maintaining the lysosomal-mitochondrial axis but not autophagic flux in Neuro-2a cells

Cadmium (Cd), is a well-known environmental and occupational hazard with a potent neurotoxic action. However, the mechanism underlying cadmium-induced neurotoxicity remains unclear. Herein, we exposed Neuro-2a cells to different concentrations of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) (12.5, 25 and 50 μM) for 24 h and found that Cd significantly induced lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) with the release of cathepsin B (CTSB) to the cytosol, which in turn caused the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c (Cyt c) and eventually triggered caspase-dependent apoptosis. Interestingly, Cd decreased TFE3 expression but induced the nuclear translocation of TFE3 and TFE3 target-gene expression, which might be associated with lysosomal stress mediated by Cd. Notably, Tfe3 overexpression protected against Cd-induced neurotoxicity by maintaining the lysosomal-mitochondrial axis, and the protective effect of TFE3 is not dependent on the restoration of autophagic flux. In conclusion, our study demonstrated for the first time that lysosomal-mitochondrial axis dependent apoptosis, a neglected mechanism, may be the most important reason for Cd-induced neurotoxicity and that manipulation of TFE3 signaling may be a potential therapeutic approach for treatment of Cd-induced neurotoxicity.

Chemical deposition of CDS films from ammoniac-thiourea solutions

This paper investigates the process of chemical deposition of CdS films from ammonia-thiourea solutions. It was established that a change in the turbidity of solution occurs in the process of chemical deposition. The results of visual observations and measurement of turbidity of solution allowed us to establish that these dependences could be used to monitor the status of the process. Visual observations correlate with the obtained dependences for turbidity and suggest that the chemical deposition of CdS includes the accumulation of colloidal-dispersed precipitate in the volume of solution, agglomeration of CdS particles, and a stationary mode of the CdS film growth at the surface of a sample. The first stage of the process is matched by a sharp increase in the turbidity of solution; the second stage is accompanied by the emergence of a maximum in the dependence. No significant change in turbidity occurs at the third stage. The observation of morphology of the resulting precipitate allowed us to establish working concentrations of reagents in solution, which ensure obtaining a high-quality CdS film with a thickness not less than 100 μm. The working concentrations of cadmium chloride, ammonia, and thiourea are, respectively, 1.8, 0.6, and 8.4 g·l –1 . It was assumed that the CdS formation is accompanied by the formation of thiourea. This is confirmed by data on the analysis of a working solution. An analysis of the solution revealed high concentrations of the CO 3 2– ions, which are a product of the thiourea decomposition. The data obtained are a preliminary stage in the development of a technology of chemical deposition of CdS films from ammonia-thiourea solutions.

The effect of metal pollution on the life history and insecticide resistance phenotype of the major malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae).

Metal exposure is one of the commonest anthropogenic pollutants mosquito larvae are exposed to, both in agricultural and urban settings. As members of the Anopheles gambiae complex, which contains several major malaria vector species including An. arabiensis, are increasingly adapting to polluted environments, this study examined the effects of larval metal exposure on various life history traits of epidemiological importance. Two laboratory strains of An. arabiensis, SENN (insecticide susceptible) and SENN DDT (insecticide resistant), were reared in maximum acceptable toxicity concentrations, (MATC—the highest legally accepted concentration) of cadmium chloride, lead nitrate and copper nitrate. Following these exposures, time to pupation, adult size and longevity were determined. Larvae reared in double the MATC were assessed for changes in malathion and deltamethrin tolerance, measured by lethal time bottle bioassay, as well as changes in detoxification enzyme activity. As defence against oxidative stress has previously been demonstrated to affect the expression of insecticide resistance, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity was assessed. The relative metal toxicity to metal naïve larvae was also assessed. SENN DDT larvae were more tolerant of metal pollution than SENN larvae. Pupation in SENN larvae was significantly reduced by metal exposure, while adult longevity was not affected. SENN DDT showed decreased adult size after larval metal exposure. Adult insecticide tolerance was increased after larval metal exposure, and this effect appeared to be mediated by increased β-esterase, cytochrome P450 and superoxide dismutase activity. These data suggest an enzyme-mediated positive link between tolerance to metal pollutants and insecticide resistance in adult mosquitoes. Furthermore, exposure of larvae to metal pollutants may have operational consequences under an insecticide-based vector control scenario by increasing the expression of insecticide resistance in adults.

Influence of cadmium chloride on the frequency of micronuclei in DA and AO rats

Heavy metal cadmium (Cd), a well-known environmental hazard, exerts a number of toxic and genotoxic effects. Experimental animals, Albino Oxford (AO) and Dark August (DA) rat strains, were treated intraperitoneally with three different concentrations of cadmium chloride (CdCl2): 0.5, 1, and 2 mg CdCl2 per kg of body weight, while the control animals received equal volume of sterile phosphate buffered saline. In this investigation individuals of both sexes aged 3, 6 and 12 month were used. Frequency of micronuclei formation was evaluated in polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs), 24h hours after treatment. The results showed that that cadmium-cloride (CdCl2) exibits the genotoxic effects causing an increase of the frequency of micronuclei depending on concentration, sex, age and strain.

EFFECT OF CADMIUM CHLORIDE ON THE HAEMATOLOGICAL PROFILES OF THE FRESHWATER ORNAMENTAL FISH, CYPRINUS CARPIO KOI (LINNAEUS, 1758)

Haematological profile [Haemoglobin (Hb), White Blood Corpuscles (WBC), Red Blood Corpuscles (RBC), Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and Platelets count (PLT)] of the freshwater ornamental fish, Cyprinus carpio koi exposed to 1/10th of 96hrs LC50 (92.5 ppm) sublethal concentration of Cadmium chloride for a period of 30 days were checked. Compared to control, significant decrease in Hb, RBC, PCV, MCH, MCHC and PLT were noted (P < 0.05) while WBC and MCV values were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Observation of haematological parameters allows the most rapid detection of alterations in fish after the exposure with xenobiotic compounds and thus, it could be concluded that the haematological indices could be considered as possible biomarkers for heavy metal pollution.

Genotoxicity assessment of cadmium chloride in Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) based on induction of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities

The genotoxic potential of environmentally realistic concentrations of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) was assessed in vivo using micronucleus assay on gill epithelial cells, erythrocytes of peripheral blood and cephalic kidney of Labeo rohita. Fish were exposed to two different concentrations (0.37 and 0.62 mg l-1) of CdCl2 for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. In addition to micronuclei (MN), other nuclear abnormalities (NA) such as induction of nuclear bud (NBu) and fragmented-apoptotic (FA) cells were also evaluated for assessment of cytotoxicity of CdCl2. MN and NA frequencies in all the observed tissues were high in fish exposed to both the concentrations as compared to control. The frequency of MN was highest in the gill cells followed by erythrocytes of peripheral blood and cephalic kidney in fish treated with both the toxicant concentrations. However, thehigher concentration of CdCl2 caused significant (p&lt;0.05) induction of MN after 48 h, while the lower concentration caused marked induction after 96 h of acute exposure. A concentration and time dependent elevation in MN and other NA frequency was noticed in all the three types of tissues tested. A three-fold increase in the occurrence of MN was observed in gill cells of the fish treated with CdCl2 at higher concentration as compared to that of lower concentration.

Studies on acute and chronic toxicity of cadmium to freshwater snail Lymnaea acuminata (Lamarck) with special reference to behavioral and hematological changes.

Molluscs have long been regarded as promising bioindicator and biomonitoring subjects for heavy metals as molluscs are highly tolerant to heavy metals and exhibit high accumulation in their body. In spite of several previous studies about the impact of cadmium on molluscs, little information exists in literatures concerning the toxic effects of cadmium on Lymnaea acuminata, especially pertaining to behavioral and hematological changes as these are considered effective bioindicators and biomonitoring variables for detecting heavy metals in polluted water bodies. In the present study, the median lethal concentrations of cadmium chloride to snail, Lymnaea acuminata, were estimated to be 9.66, 7.69, 6.26, and 5.54mg/L at 24, 48, 72, and 96h, respectively. For behavioral studies, variable test concentrations of cadmium from 0.00 to 10mg/L were used. The clumping tendency, crawling activity, and touch reflex in the exposed snails were gradually decreased with higher concentrations at 72 and 96h. For measuring the hemocyte numbers in the circulating hemolymph of snail during chronic cadmium exposure, two sublethal doses of cadmium (10 and 20% 96-h LC50-0.55 and 1.11mg/L, respectively) were used. A significant variation (p<0.05) from the control at all exposure times (7, 14, 21, and 28days) was recorded at 1.11mg/L concentration. The total count of circulating hemocytes was significantly reduced (p<0.05) compared to the controls at both concentrations of cadmium exposure at all time periods except 14 and 21days exposure at 0.55mg/L where values were non-significantly increased. In comparison between two sublethal doses, blood cells were significantly (p<0.05) lowered at 1.11mg/L cadmium treatment. Considering the behavioral and hematological data, it seems possible to forecast the physiological state of snails in cadmium-contaminated water bodies and these findings can be used in determining the safe disposal level of cadmium in aquatic ecosystem.

Development of cultures of the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve for genotoxicity assessment using the alkaline comet assay.

Sponges are a potential alternative model species to bivalves in pollution biomonitoring and environmental risk assessment in the aquatic ecosystem. In the present study, a novel in vivo exposure sponge culture model was developed from field-collected and cryopreserved sponge (Hymeniacidon perleve) cells to investigate the genotoxic effects of environmentally relevant metals in the laboratory. Sponge cell aggregates were cultured and exposed to noncytotoxic concentrations (0-0.4 mg/L) of cadmium chloride, nickel chloride, and sodium dichromate as quantified by the reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and DNA-strand breaks assessed by the comet assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation was quantified by oxidation of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate in sponge cell aggregates exposed to the same concentrations of Cd, Cr, and Ni. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) concentration-dependent increase in the level of DNA-strand breaks and ROS formation in all of the metals investigated. To the best of our knowledge, we have utilized for the first time the alkaline comet assay to detect DNA-strand breaks in marine sponge cells and demonstrated that exposure to noncytotoxic concentrations of Cd, Cr, and Ni for 12 h results in a concentration-dependent increase in DNA damage and levels of ROS production. In conclusion, we have developed a novel in vivo model based on culture of cryopreserved sponge cells that is compatible with the alkaline comet assay. Genotoxicity in marine sponges measured by the comet assay technique may be a useful tool for biomonitoring research and risk assessment in aquatic ecosystems. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3314-3323. © 2017 SETAC.

Establishment of a three-step method to evaluate effects of chemicals on development of zebrafish embryo/larvae

Core endpoints in zebrafish embryos are crucial indicators in screening harmful effects of chemicals. In this study, we established a three-step process to more quantitatively and less-subjective determine effects of chemicals on phenotypes of developing zebrafish embryos. Embryos were exposed to each of two concentrations of the representative chemicals cadmium chloride (CdCl2), tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) or 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-nonafluoro-1-hexanol (4:2 FTOH) from 0.75 h post-fertilization (hpf) to 96 hpf. After exposure, larvae were imaged by use of a three-step method to describe morphology. Seven points were selected, which resulted in acquisition of 21 lines and 105 angles from images of larvae. Exposure to TDCIPP (0.1 or 0.2 mg/L), CdCl2 (1 or 4 mg/L) or 4:2 FTOH (0.3 or 1 mg/L) significantly changed lengths of some lines and magnitudes of some angles, that resulted in differential scoring of points. Points were then prioritized and directions, distances and trajectories of movement were further described and standard reference values were developed. Movement of the point describing the mouth during embryonic development was found to be a sensitive parameter for assessment of adverse effects of chemicals. The present study provides a new strategy to characterize phenotypes of development of zebrafish embryo/larva following exposure to environmental toxins.

Dispersion parameters of cadmium chloride doped PVA-PVP blend films

Solution cast films of poly vinylalcohol (PVA) – poly vinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer blend, doped with different concentrations (from 0.5 wt% up to 40 wt%) of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) have been studied by analysing the data recorded using optical (UV-Vis) spectrometry. The modified band structure of PVA -PVP blends doped with CdCl2 has been studied using Moss model and Wemple - DiDomenco model. Optical parameters such as transmittance (T), reflectance (R), refractive index (n), average oscillator energy (E0), oscillator dispersion energy (Ed), real and imaginary part of dielectric constant (er and ei) have been determined. The ratio of charge carrier concentration to effective mass (N/m*), plasma frequency (ωp), average oscillator wavelength (λo), oscillator strength (So), optical conductivity (σ) and optical momenta of spectra (M−1 and M−3) have been estimated for the PVA-PVP blend films doped with CdCl2.

Some Morphological and Biochemical Changes in Gram Seedlings Under Cadmium Stress

Heavy metal pollution is a very serious environmental issue throughout the world. These heavy metals do not degrade and accumulate in the environment which is very dangerous to the environmental and human health. Plant responses to heavy metal stress are the combined results of various processes like cellular transport mechanisms and activation of signal transduction pathways, which depend upon type of metal and plant species. In the present study, various morphological and biochemical changes were investigated in the Cicer arietinum grown hydroponically in different concentration of CdCl2. This study was done in order to contribute towards the better understanding of the mechanism of heavy metal stress adaptation in the gram seedlings. Marked reduction was observed in the in length of leaves, shoots and roots as well as fresh weight of gram seedlings at higher concentration of cadmium chloride compared to controls. This reduction in growth indicates metal toxicity. There is increase in protein concentration with increasing concentration of cadmium in gram seedlings. The increase of soluble proteins could results from the activation of genes for synthesis of specific proteins associated with stress that protect the vital set of cellular proteins, and the heat shock proteins which maintains membrane protein and the plant cell structures. It seems that the synthesis of specific proteins is necessary for the hardening.

Cell specific stress responses of cadmium-induced cytotoxicity

ABSTRACTCadmium is one of the age old toxic heavy metal, detrimental to the biological system. In this study, we explored the cellular and molecular mechanisms induced on exposure to different concentrations of cadmium chloride (CdCl2), on three different human cell lines with wild type p53, viz., A549, HEK293 and HCT116. We investigated whether the cellular responses followed, displayed any specific pattern related to their viability, mitochondrial respiration, DNA damage and apoptotic gene expression. All the cell lines showed decrease in viability following exposure to CdCl2. p53 was transcriptionally down regulated in all the three cell lines, but with different extents, in response to increasing concentration of cadmium. The cellular responses of the three cell lines were compared with that of a p53 knock out cell line (HCT116p53-/-). The p53 knock out cell line was highly sensitive to cadmium-induced toxicity; so was the cell line in which p53 mRNA expression was highly down regulated. This might implicate an unknown protective role of p53 signaling during heavy metal toxicity and that one of the possible mechanisms by which cadmium manifests its cytotoxic effect is through the transcriptional down regulation of p53 gene.

Effect of cadmium chloride on soybean in presence ofarbuscular mycorrhiza and vermicompost

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to study the combined effects of cadmium toxicity, application of vermicompost and inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhiza on soybean. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (factorial) and replicated thrice. The treatments included arbuscular mycorrhiza in two levels (inoculation and non- inoculation in soil), vermicompost in two levels (application @ 5 % of soil weight and non-application) and cadmium chloride in five levels (0, 20, 40, 80 and 160 mg kg-1 of soil). The result showed that increasing concentrations of cadmium chloride significantly increased electrolyte leakage and leaf transpiration, and decreased photosynthetic rate, Fv/Fm, root weight, pod number per plant and grain weight per plant. Application of vermicompost and mycorrhiza decreased the toxic effects of cadmium chloride. Application of vermicompost increased Fv/Fm, grain weight per plant, number pods per plant and seed oil percent, and application of mycorrhiza increased root weight and photosynthetic rate.

Effects of cadmium chloride as inhibitor on stability and kinetics of immobilized Lactoperoxidase(LPO) on silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles versus free LPO

Objective(s): Enzyme immobilization via nanoparticles is perfectly compatible against the other chemical or biological approximate to improve enzyme functions and stability. In this study lactoperoxidase was immobilized onto silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles to improve enzyme properties in the presence of cadmium chloride as an inhibitor. Materials and Methods: The process consists of the following steps: (1) preparing magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles using the co-precipitation method, (2) coating NP with silica (SiO2) by sol–gel reaction, (3) characterizations of NPs were examined by FT-IR, XRD, AGFM and TEM. (4) Immobilization of LPO on the magnetite NPs, (5) Study kinetic and stability of both free and immobilized LPO in the presence of various concentrations of cadmium chloride. Results: The size of the Fe3O4 and silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles were about 9 nm and 12 nm, respectively. The results showed that the highest immobilization yield, nearly 90 %, was attained at 240 to 300 µg of LPO at 15h. It was found that the concentration of cadmium chloride directly affects the LPO activity and changes the kinetic parameters of it. Also, the results showed that immobilized LPO has better tolerance than the free LPO, so that after immobilization, Vmax of immobilized LPO was increased and Km of immobilized LPO was decreased. Conclusion: The results demonstrating that the effect of immobilized lactoperoxidase on silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles increases the stability of the LPO in the presence of cadmium chloride as inhibitor. Michaelis–Menten parameters (Km and Vmax) also revealed the considerable improvement of immobilized.

Biological removal of cadmium from soil by phytoremediation and its impact on growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, phenol and malondealdehyde content in Vetiveria zizianoides.

Phytoremediation is one of the most widely used methods for removing soil contaminants. In this research, the function of Vetiveria zizianoides to remove cadmium from four different treatments with varying amounts of cadmium chloride contamination (including 0, 20, 40, and 60 mg per liter) was investigated and physiological changes caused by the accumulation of this metal in the plant were monitored. According to the obtained results, cadmium accumulation in roots was higher as compared to the shoots. Based on factors such as the amount of biomass and the length of organs, the growth rate was reduced in plants accumulating more cadmium. Our findings also showed that increased concentrations of cadmium chloride in the experimental units caused a significant reduction of photosynthetic pigments compared to control. However, phenolic compounds and malondialdehyde showed a significant increase with increasing concentrations of cadmium chloride. In addition, the cadmium uptake by the plant was increased with increasing concentration of cadmium chloride. Our results clearly showed the high capability of Vetiveria zizianoides for biological removal of cadmium from contaminated soil.

Extraction and recovery of cadmium(Ⅱ) using phosphine-oxide, tris[(dibutylamino)methyl]-(7CI,8CI) from nitric acid solutions

ABSTRACTIn the present article, a new separation system was employed for the extraction of cadmium from nitric acid solutions for the first time. Phosphine oxide, tris[(dibutylamino)methyl]-(7CI,8CI),which contains nitrogen atoms and phosphorus atom in molecular, was used as extractant. The influence of the following parameters was investigated: the organic/aqueous phase ratio (O/A), pH, contact time, temperature, the concentration of extractant, cadmium (Ⅱ), sodium nitrate and sodium chloride. Results demonstrated that quantitative extraction of cadmium was feasible from 50 mg/L cadmium feed solution in a single stage at pH 3.0, 15 min and O/A phase ratio 1:5 with 20% extractant in cyclohexane diluent. The cadmium extraction isotherm under different cadmium ion concentrations was established. The loaded cadmium could be stripped by 4 mol/L ammonium chloride aqueous solutions. A contrast study was carried out, and the results indicated that phosphine oxide, tris[(dibutylamino)methyl] –(7CI,8CI), could take the place of commercial organo-phosphorous extractants in the process of cadmium(II) extractions for its effectivity, stability and low price.

Effect of cadmium chloride on the photosensitivity of Cd1–x Mg x Te (0 ⩽ x &lt; 0.10) films grown in a quasi-closed system

Films of Cd1–x Mg x Te solid solutions have been grown by thermal evaporation of powders of CdTe-based MgTe–CdTe solid solutions in a quasi-closed system. The magnesium content of the films has been found to be lower than that of the source material used for film growth. It has been shown that the photocurrent amplitude in the Cd1–x Mg x Te films as a function of incorporated CdCl2 concentration has a maximum at a particular cadmium chloride concentration, which is due to the doping of the solid solutions with chloride ions. The cadmium chloride-activated Cd1–x Mg x Te films are n-type.

From the Cover: Autophagy Induction Contributes to Cadmium Toxicity in Mesenchymal Stem Cells via AMPK/FOXO3a/BECN1 Signaling.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a valuable in vitro model for investigating the bone toxicity of cadmium (Cd). Autophagy has been proposed to play a pivotal role in Cd-mediated toxicity. The FOXO family proteins are important transcription factors that are essential to autophagy induction. This study investigated the role of autophagy in Cd-induced skeleton damage and its potential mechanism. We exposed MSCs to different concentrations of cadmium chloride (3.5, 7, and 14 μM) for 24 h. We demonstrated that Cd treatment increased autophagic flux, and inhibition of autophagic process using BENC1 gene silencing blocked Cd-induced cell death. Cd treatment also significantly increased mRNA levels of various essential autophagy-related genes including ATG5, ATG12, BECN1, LC3, and ULK1. Specifically, Cd increased FOXO3a and FOXO1 expression at the mRNA and protein levels, and AMPK was demonstrated to enhance FOXO3a nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity by phosphorylating FOXO3a at specific serine residues (Ser588) in Cd-treated MSCs. Notably, knockdown of FOXO3a, but not FOXO1, prevented autophagy-related genes expression and autophagosome formation after Cd treatment. Taken together, our results demonstrate that Cd-induced cell death via the overactivation of FOXO3a-dependent autophagy. Modulation of the FOXO3a autophagy pathway may offer novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of Cd-induced bone damage.