Table 3.
Main characteristics of in vitro studies analyzing associations between cadmium exposure and epigenetic changes
| First author, Year | Cell type | Cadmium exposure: duration; dose (range) | Epigenetic modification | Expression changes | Main outcomes in relation to cadmium exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiang G, 2008 | Human embryo lung fibroblasts (HLF) | 2 months; 0–1.5 μmol/L | Global DNA methylation (HPLC) | Yes | Global hypermethylation, overexpression of DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B |
| Ronco AM, 2010 | Human choriocarcinoma cells (JEG-3) | 24 h; 0.5–1 μM | Gene-specific DNA methylation (methylation-specific PCR) | Yes | Lower HSD11B2 methylation, overexpression of 11β-HSD2 |
| Gadhia SR, 2012 | Mouse embryonic stem cells (mES) | 1 and 24 h; IC25 (0.08 mM) and IC50 (0.16 mM) | Global histone H3K27 monomethylation (fluorimetric assay) | Yes | H3K27-me1 hypomethylation after 24-h exposure at IC50; no changes in expression after 1-h exposure |
IC 25 and IC 50 inhibitory concentration 25 and 50 % derived from MTT cytotoxicity experiments, HPLC reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography, H3K27-me1 histone 3-lysine27 monomethylation; expression changes refer to the level of mRNA and/or protein