Circulatory cadmium positively correlates with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety Vol. 215; p. 112164
• Main Authors: Zheng, Ling, Jiang, Ya-Lin, Fei, Jun, Cao, Peng, Zhang, Chen, Xie, Guo-Fang, Wang, Li-Xiang, Cao, Wei, Fu, Lin, Zhao, Hui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.06.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Antigens, CD; Cadherins; Cadmium; Cadmium - blood; Case-Control Studies; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Environmental Pollutants - blood; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Female; Humans; Lung - physiopathology; Male; MicroRNAs; Middle Aged; MiR-30; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - blood; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - physiopathology; Pulmonary function; Vimentin; Cd; Cadmium; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; FVC; Pulmonary function; miR-30; FEV1; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; EMT; COPD; MiR-30
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112164

Environmental cadmium (Cd) exposure can cause several pulmonary diseases. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) involved in the process of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the association between environmental Cd exposure and EMT was unclear in COPD patients. This study aimed to analyze the associations among circulatory Cd, EMT and COPD based on case-control study. Four hundred COPD patients and 400 control subjects were recruited. Circulatory Cd was detected using atomic adsorption spectrometer. MicroRNA-30 (miR-30) was measured by RT-PCR and the markers of pulmonary EMT were evaluated through western blotting. Circulatory Cd concentration was increased and serum miR-30 was decreased in COPD patients. Circulatory Cd was inversely associated with pulmonary function in COPD patients. Moreover, serum miR-30 was gradually decreased in parallel with FEV1 in COPD patients. Meanwhile, there was a negative association between serum miR-30 and circulatory Cd in COPD patients. Further analysis found that E-cadherin, one of epithelial biomarkers, was reduced in lung tissues of COPD patients with higher circulatory Cd. On the contrary, pulmonary N-cadherin, Vimentin and α-SMA, three of mesenchymal biomarkers, were increased in COPD patients with higher circulatory Cd. In vitro experiments revealed that Cd exposure repressed miR-30 levels and promoted EMT in BEAS-2B cells. Our results provide evidence that miR-30 reduction contributing to pulmonary EMT may involve in the process of Cd-induced COPD. •Circulatory Cd concentration is increased in COPD patients.•Serum miR-30 level is decreased in COPD patients.•Pulmonary EMT is elevated in COPD patients with higher circulatory Cd concentration.•Circulatory Cd is negatively associated with pulmonary function in COPD patients.•Circulatory Cd is inversely associated with serum miR-30 and positively associated with pulmonary EMT in COPD patients.