Seo Mi-Na, Eom Sang-Yong, Lim Ji-Ae, Lee Jung-Eum, Choi Byung-Sun, Kwon Ho-Jang, Hong Young-Seoub, Kim Heon, Park Jung-Duck
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-Ro, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul, 06974, Korea.
College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju-Si, 28644, Korea.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2023 Feb;84(2):237-247. doi: 10.1007/s00244-023-00982-7. Epub 2023 Jan 19.
Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant with an exceptionally long biological half-life. The liver is a major organ for Cd metabolism, but the toxicity of Cd is unclear. This study sought to determine whether blood Cd (BCd) level (representing recent exposure [months] to Cd) was associated with liver function in Korean adults, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The baseline cross-sectional study involved 2,086 adults (male: 908, female: 1,178) in 2010 - 2011, and 503 of them (male: 207, female: 296) were followed up in 2014 - 2015. BCd was measured by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, and liver function indices (aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alanine aminotransferase [ALT], and γ-glutamyltransferase [GGT]) were determined. Liver damage was defined as an abnormal elevation of more than one liver function index. The geometric mean of BCd (1.07 μg/L) was higher in females than in males (1.16 vs. 0.96 μg/L). Liver function indices increased significantly in a dose-dependent manner according to the BCd levels, except for ALT in males, and were higher in males than in females. BCd level was also associated with the risk of liver damage in both sexes. No significant changes in BCd were observed between baseline and follow-up. The liver function indices in 2014 - 2015 were comparable to those in 2010 - 2011 in males, while ALT and GGT were significantly increased in 2014 - 2015 compared to 2010 - 2011 in females with relatively high BCd. These findings suggest that even a low level of environmental Cd exposure, short- and long-term, may affect liver function, and females appear more susceptible than males.
镉（Cd）是一种普遍存在的环境污染物，其生物半衰期极长。肝脏是镉代谢的主要器官，但镉的毒性尚不清楚。本研究旨在横断面和纵向确定韩国成年人的血镉（BCd）水平（代表近期[数月]镉暴露情况）是否与肝功能相关。基线横断面研究纳入了2010 - 2011年的2086名成年人（男性908名，女性1178名），其中503人（男性207名，女性296名）在2014 - 2015年接受了随访。采用石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定血镉水平，并测定肝功能指标（天冬氨酸转氨酶[AST]、丙氨酸转氨酶[ALT]和γ-谷氨酰转移酶[GGT]）。肝功能损害定义为一种以上肝功能指标异常升高。女性的血镉几何均值（1.07μg/L）高于男性（1.16对0.96μg/L）。除男性的ALT外，肝功能指标根据血镉水平呈剂量依赖性显著升高，且男性高于女性。血镉水平也与两性的肝功能损害风险相关。基线和随访之间未观察到血镉的显著变化。2014 - 2015年男性的肝功能指标与2010 - 2011年相当，而血镉相对较高的女性中，2014 - 2015年的ALT和GGT相比2010 - 2011年显著升高。这些发现表明，即使是低水平的短期和长期环境镉暴露也可能影响肝功能，而且女性似乎比男性更易受影响。
