Keywords
How to Cite
Abstract
Rapid industrialization and anthropogenic activities are main causes of environmental pollution and level of heavy metals is on the increase in biosphere. These heavy metals have deleterious effects on human health and cause many abnormalities. In the present study, we investigated the effects of arsenic, chromium and cadmium on the growth and morphology of HeLa cell. The total protein profile of control as well as treated cells was checked by SDS-PAGE. Chromium was used to induce the expression of metallothionein protein and expression of protein was detected by SDSPAGE. There was reduction in proliferation of cells in chromium, cadmium and arsenic containing medium. Cell necrosis was observed with the increase in the concentration of chromium and at 0.10 µg/mL concentration of chromium complete cell lysis was observed. There was change in morphology of cells with increase in concentration of cadmium and at 1.0 µg/ml cells became round. Arsenic also proved to be deleterious for the growth of HeLa cells and there was change in morphology of cells at 1.0 µg/ml but it was not as toxic as chromium and cadmium. There was no difference in protein profile of control and chromium treated cells except lower in concentration of protein due to less number of cells. Metallothionein were not observed in treated cells by SDS-PAGE. Heavy metal have very deleterious effects on human cells and with increase in metal concentration there was change in morphology of cells and also great reduction in proliferation
References
Kang JQ, Jin YL. Study progress of adverse effects of
arsenic on health. J Hygien Res 2004; 33: 372–6.
Geng CN, Zhu YG, Liu WJ, Smith SE. Arsenate uptake by
seedlings of two rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes grown in
solution culture. Aq Bot 2005; 83: 321–31.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2005.07.003
Zhou QX, Song YF. Principles and Methods of Contaminated
Soil Remediation, Science Press, Beijing, China, 2004.
Liao XY, Chen TB, Xie H, Liu, YR. Soil As contamination and
its risk assessment in areas near the industrial districts of
Chenzhou City, southern China. Environ Int 2005; 31: 791–8.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2005.05.030
Xie RK, Seip HM, Wibetoe G, Nori S. McLeod CM. Heavy
coal combustion as the dominant source of particulate
pollution in Taiyuan, China, corroborated by high
concentrations of arsenic and selenium in PM10. Sci Tot
Environ 2006; 370: 409–15.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.07.004
Verma VK, Singh YP, Rai JPN. Biogas production from plant
biomass used for phytoremediation of industrial wastes.
Biore Tech 2007; 98: 1664–9.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2006.05.038
Costa M. Toxicity and carcinogenicity of Cr(VI) in animal
models and humans. Crit Rev Toxicol 1997; 27: 431–42.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/10408449709078442
Anderson RA. Chromium as an essential nutrient for
humans. RegulToxicol Pharmacol 1997; 26: 35–41.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/rtph.1997.1136
Cohen MD, Kargacin B, Klein CB. Costa M. Mechanisms of
chromium carcinogenicity and toxicity. Crit Rev Toxicol 1993;
: 255–81.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/10408449309105012
Harbison RD. Cadmium. In Hamilton and Hardy’s Industrial
Toxicology (R. D. Harbison, Ed.), 5th ed., 1998; pp. 47–50.
Mosby, St. Louis, MO.
IARC. Beryllium, cadmium, mercury, and exposures in the
glass manufacturing industry. In IARC Monographs on the
Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals in Humans,
; Vol. 58. World Health Organization, International
Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon.
Hutchinson J. On some examples of arsenic-keratoses of the
skin and arsenic cancer. Trans Pathol Soc London 1988; 39:
–63.
Finkelman RB, Belkin HE, Zheng B. Health impacts of
domestic coal use in China. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1999;
: 3427–31.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.96.7.3427
Liu J, Liu YP, Hartley D, Klaassen CD, Shehin-Johnson SE,
Lucas A, Cohen SD. Metallothionein-I/II knockout mice are
sensitive to acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. J
Pharmacol Exp Ther 1999; 289: 580–6.
Pitt BR, Schwarz M, Woo ES, Yee E, Wasserloos K, Tran S,
Weng WL, Mannix RJ, Watkins SA, Tyurina YY, Tyurin VA,
Kagan VE, Lazo JS. Overexpression of metallothionein
decreases sensitivity of pulmonary endothelial cells to
oxidant injury. Am J Physiol 1997; 273: 856–65.
Chatterjee J, Chatterjee C. 2000. Phytotoxicity of cobalt,
chromium, and copper in cauliflower. Environ Pollut 109: 69-
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(99)00238-9
Grace ND, Lee J. Effect Of Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Se And Zn
Supplementation On The Elemental Content Of Soft Tissues
And Bone In Sheep Grazing Ryegrass/White Clover Pasture.
New Zealand J Agr 1990; 33: 635-47.
Ikeda M, Zhang ZW, Higashikawa W. Background exposure
of general women populations in japon to cadmium in the
environment and possible health effects. Toxicol Let 1999;
: 161-6.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4274(99)00084-3
Endo T, Sakata M, Shaikh ZA. Mercury uptake by primary
cultures of rat renal cortical epithelial cells. Toxicol Appl
Pharmacol 1995; 132: 36–43.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/taap.1995.1084
Douglas BT; Bradley JC; Diane OJ, Cynthia SS, Gregg ED,
Moiz MM, Robert E. Effects of Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium,
and Lead on Gene Expression Regulated by a Battery of 13
Different Promoters in Recombinant HepG2 Cells. Toxicol
and Appl Pharmacol 2000; 168: 79-90.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/taap.2000.9014
Beyersmann D, Hechtenberg S. Cadmium, gene regulation,
and cellular signalling in mammalian cells. Toxicol Appl
Pharmacol 1997; 144: 247–61.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/taap.1997.8125
Thomas JP, Bachowski GL, Girotti AW. Inhibition of cell
membrane lipid peroxidation by cadmium- and
zincmetallothionein. Biochim Biophys Acta 1986; 884: 448–
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0304-4165(86)90195-9
Bauman JW, Liu YP, Klaassen, CD. Increase in
metallothionein production by chemicals that induce oxidative
stress. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1991; 110: 347–54.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0041-008X(05)80017-1
Zhang XH, Jin L, Sakamoto H, Takenaka I.
Immunohistochemical localization of metallothionein in
human prostate cancer. J Urol 1996; 156: 1679-81.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(01)65481-8
Datta J, Majumder S, Kutay H, Motiwala T, Frankel W, Costa
R, Cha HC, MacDougald OA, Jacob ST, Ghoshal K.
Metallothionein expression is suppressed in primary human
hepatocellular carcinomas and is mediated through
inactivation of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha by
phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling cascade. Cancer Res.
; 67: 2736-46.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.