The Evaluation of Effects of Environmental Cd Exposure on the Relationships of Se, Zn, Cu, Ca, Mg and Cd in Human Tissues

1991 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 02670230
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Hygiene
• Research Institution: Kanazawa Medical University
• Principal Investigator: HONDA Ryumon Kanazawa Med. Univ. Hygiene Assist. Prof., 医学部・衛生学教室, 講師 (60097441)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TSURITANI Ikiko Kanazawa Med. Univ. Hygiene Assist. Prof., 医学部・衛生学教室, 助手 (30159040) ; KIDO Teruhiko Chiba Univ. Hygiene Ass. Prof., 医学部・衛生学教室, 助教授 (20167373)
• Project Period (FY): 1990 – 1991
• Keywords: Environmental Cadmium Exposure / Human Tissues / Serenium / Zinc / Copper / Calcium / Magnesium

Research Abstract

Cadmium(Cd), selenium(Se), zinc(Zn), copper(Cu), calcium(Ca)and magnesium(Mg)concentrations were determined in liver, kidney cortex, kidney medulla, pancreas, thyroid, heart, skeletal muscle, aorta and rib, from 51(9 males and 42 females)cadmium-polluted and 75(41 males and 34 females)nonpolluted autopsied subjects. All subjects were over 60 years old.
The mean(geometric)Cd concentrations in the tissues of the Cd-polluted group were significantly higher in all tissues except kidney than those in nonpolluted group. The highest ratio of the mean in Cd-polluted group to that in nonpolluted group was found in pancreas with the value of 4.63, followed by thyroid with 4.61. Thus, the tissue in 'which Cd could highly accumulate was considered to be pancreas and thyroid.
On the relationship among these elements investigated, Cd correlated strongly with Zn and Cu, especially in liver and kidney. The significant high correlations between Zn and Cu or Mg were found in many tissues.
On the other hand, from the data obtained from the correlation matrix of each element in the tissues, Cd showed high correlations among almost all of the tissues. This may be due to the high accumulative ability of Cd in each tissue. Whereas, for Zn, 'Cu and Mg, the high correlation was found between liver, kidney cortex and kidney medulla. These results suggest that Cd metabolism is largely different from the metabolism of Zn, Cu and Mg. Furthermore, in the female nonpolluted subjects, Ca contents in the soft tissues seemed to increase with decreasing in bone Ca due to aging, while in the female Cd-polluted subjects, the similar trend was seen in some cases, but the Ca levels were generally much lower than those in nonpolluted subjects. This suggests that Ca deficiency in their whole body might exist in Cd-polluted women.