Low-Dose Cadmium Upregulates VEGF Expression in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

Fuhong Liu, Bei Wang, Liqun Li, Fengyun Dong, Xiaocui Chen, Yan Li, Xiuzhen Dong, Youichiro Wada, Carolyn M. Kapron and Ju Liu
Additional contact information
Fuhong Liu: Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China
Bei Wang: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China
Liqun Li: Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China
Fengyun Dong: Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China
Xiaocui Chen: Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China
Yan Li: Children’s Health Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China
Xiuzhen Dong: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Changle West Road No. 169, Xi’an 710032, Shanxi, China
Youichiro Wada: The Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, and Isotope Science Center, The University of Tokyo, 2-11-16, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
Carolyn M. Kapron: Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada
Ju Liu: Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal and environmental toxin. Exposure to Cd has been associated with a variety of human cancers. In this study, we performed in vitro assays to examine the effects of cadmium chloride (CdCl 2 ) on A549 cells, a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line. Cd does not affect proliferation, migration, or apoptosis of A549 cells at concentrations of 0.1–10 ?M. At 0.5 and 1 ?M, Cd increases the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) ( p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively), but not basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) in A549 cells. The conditioned media were collected from the A549 cells treated with 1 ?M Cd and were co-cultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Upon treatment with the conditioned media, the proliferation and migration of HUVECs significantly increased ( p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively), while apoptosis remained unchanged. In addition, 1 ?M Cd increases the level of hypoxia inducible factor 1-? (HIF1-?), which is a positive regulator of VEGF expression. Although low-dose Cd does not directly affect the growth of lung adenocarcinoma cells, it might facilitate the development of tumors through its pro-angiogenic effects.

Keywords: cadmium; VEGF; lung adenocarcinoma; endothelial cell; angiogenesis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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