Assessment of the Toxic Effects of Cd on Primary Human Keratinocytes

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that is commonly used in industry, leading to its release into the environment and causing significant environmental damage. While cadmium has no known biological function, it is highly toxic and can have a negative impact on human health. Traditionally, attention has been focused on the oral and respiratory effects of heavy metal exposure, but recent studies suggest that dermal exposure may also be significant in areas near industrial facilities. When cadmium comes into contact with the skin, it can damage the epidermal barrier and induce apoptosis and genotoxic stress. There are a limited number of studies on the toxic effects of cadmium on keratinocytes, with most using the HaCaT cell line as a model. Further research is needed to better understand the potential risks of dermal cadmium exposure and to develop strategies for mitigating its effects.HaCaT keratinocytes are a promising alternative to normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK). However, these cells have some significant differences from primary keratinocytes and the use of NHEKs is therefore preferable. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effects of cadmium on primary human keratinocytes using transcriptomics techniques. We determined the subtoxic concentration of cadmium and performed transcriptomic profiling on primary keratinocyte cells that were exposed to this concentration for the first time using high-performance sequencing with RNAseq (Illumina). In addition to the transcriptomic analysis, we also measured the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and detected a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines using ELISA.In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic effects of cadmium and found that it activates the expression of genes related to metallothionein, oxidative stress response, hypoxia, and other processes. We also observed an increase in the levels of gene expression for certain cytokines.