Venter Chantelle, Oberholzer Hester Magdalena, Bester Janette, van Rooy Mia-Jeanne, Bester Megan Jean
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Cell Physiol Biochem. 2017;43(3):1288-1300. doi: 10.1159/000481841. Epub 2017 Oct 9.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Heavy metal pollution is increasing in the environment, contaminating water, food and air supplies. This can be linked to many anthropogenic activities. Heavy metals are absorbed through the skin, inhalation and/or orally. Irrespective of the manner of heavy metal entry in the body, the blood circulatory system is potentially the first to be affected following exposure and adverse effects on blood coagulation can lead to associated thrombotic disease. Although the plasma levels and the effects of cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) on erythrocytes and lymphocytes have been described, the environmental exposure to heavy metals are not limited to a single metal and often involves metal mixtures, with each metal having different rates of absorption, different cellular, tissue, and organ targets. Therefore the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the heavy metals Cd and Cr alone and whether Cr synergistically increases the effect of Cd on physiological important processes such as blood coagulation.
Human blood was exposed to the heavy metals ex vivo, and thereafter morphological analysis was performed with scanning electron- and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in conjunction with thromboelastography®.
The erythrocytes, platelets and fibrin networks presented with ultrastructural changes, including varied erythrocytes morphologies, activated platelets and significantly thicker fibrin fibres in the metal-exposed groups. CLSM analysis revealed the presence of phosphatidylserine on the outer surface of the membranes of the spherocytic erythrocytes exposed to Cd and Cr alone and in combination. The viscoelastic analysis revealed only a trend that indicates that clots that will form after heavy metal exposure, will likely be fragile and unstable especially for Cd and Cr in combination.
This study identified the blood as an important target system of Cd and Cr toxicity.
背景/目的：环境中的重金属污染日益严重，污染了水、食物和空气供应。这与许多人为活动有关。重金属可通过皮肤、吸入和/或口服进入人体。无论重金属进入人体的方式如何，血液循环系统在接触后可能是首先受到影响的，对血液凝固的不利影响可能导致相关的血栓形成疾病。虽然已经描述了镉（Cd）和铬（Cr）的血浆水平及其对红细胞和淋巴细胞的影响，但环境中重金属暴露并不局限于单一金属，通常涉及金属混合物，每种金属具有不同的吸收速率、不同的细胞、组织和器官靶点。因此，本研究的目的是调查重金属镉和铬单独的影响，以及铬是否协同增加镉对血液凝固等生理重要过程的影响。
将人体血液在体外暴露于重金属，然后结合血栓弹力图，通过扫描电子显微镜和共聚焦激光扫描显微镜（CLSM）进行形态学分析。
红细胞、血小板和纤维蛋白网络出现超微结构变化，包括金属暴露组中红细胞形态各异、血小板活化和纤维蛋白纤维明显增粗。CLSM分析显示，单独或联合暴露于镉和铬的球形红细胞膜外表面存在磷脂酰丝氨酸。粘弹性分析仅显示一种趋势，即重金属暴露后形成的凝块可能易碎且不稳定，尤其是镉和铬联合暴露时。
本研究确定血液是镉和铬毒性的重要靶系统。
