title: Transforming and carcinogenic potential of cadmium chloride in BALB/c-3T3 cells.
abstract: A large number of workers are potentially exposed to cadmium during mining and processing. Therefore, there is a concern regarding the potential carcinogenic hazards of cadmium to exposed workers. Studies have been performed to determine if cadmium chloride (CdCl(2)) can induce morphological cell transformation, DNA from CdCl(2)-induced transformed cells can transform other mammalian cells, and the transformed cells induced by CdCl(2) can form tumors in nude mice. BALB/c-3T3 cells were treated with different concentrations of CdCl(2) for 72 h. The frequency of transformed foci from each treatment was determined after cells were cultured for 4 to 5 weeks. DNAs from five CdCl(2)-induced transformed cell lines were isolated and gene transfection assay was performed using NIH-3T3 cells. Non-transformed BALB/c-3T3 cells and cells from 10 transformed cell lines induced by CdCl(2) were injected into both axillary regions of nude mice. Mice were screened once a week for the appearance and size of tumors. CdCl(2) caused a statistically significant, concentration-related increase in the transformation frequency. DNA from all five CdCl(2)-induced transformed cell lines tested was found to induce varying degrees of transfection-mediated transformation in NIH-3T3 cells. All 10 CdCl(2)-induced transformed cell lines formed fibrosarcomas in nude mice within 39 days of inoculation. Within this time period, no tumors were found in nude mice injected with non-transformed BALB/c-3T3 cells. These results indicate that CdCl(2) is capable of inducing morphological cell transformation and that the transformed cells induced by CdCl(2) are potentially tumorigenic.
authors.affiliation: Toxicology and Molecular Biology Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, m/s 3014, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505-2845, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Keshava
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Hubbs
authors.forename: M X
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Ensell
authors.forename: T m
authors.initials: Tm
authors.lastname: Ong
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D019256:Cadmium Chloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D015197:Carcinogenicity Tests; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000633:toxicity*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D019256:Cadmium Chloride