Methods:

• The study enrolled 940 COPD patients.
• Fasting serum was collected and subjected to serum cadmium detection and serum inflammatory cytokine measurements through graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively.

Results: 

Patients were categorized based on the tertile division of serum cadmium concentration as low (<0.77 μg/L, L), medium (0.77-1.01 μg/L, M), and high (1.01 μg/L, H). 

Logistic regression analysis demonstrated serum cadmium to be inversely correlated with pulmonary function before and after adjusted confounding variables. 

Following stratification by gender, serum cadmium remained negatively correlated with pulmonary function in COPD patients. Higher serum cadmium boosted CAT (COPD Assessment Test) score before and after adjusted confounding variables. 

Non-linear association was found between serum cadmium and inflammatory cytokines, yet serum cadmium was positively associated with inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and MCP-1). 

TNF-α and MCP-1 served as a partial mediator in the linkage between cadmium exposure and drop in pulmonary function in COPD patients.

Conclusions: Serum cadmium concentration and pulmonary function are inversely correlated in COPD patients. Inflammatory cytokines can serve as crucial mediators for cadmium-induced pulmonary function decline in these patients.

Source- Jiang YL, Fei J, Cao P, et al. Serum cadmium positively correlates with inflammatory cytokines in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Environ Toxicol. 2022 Jan;37(1):151-160.