Exposure to Cadmium and Other Trace Elements Among Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: A limited number of studies have investigated the role of environmental chemicals in the etiology of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We performed a cross-sectional study of the association between exposure to selected trace elements and the biomarkers of cognitive decline. Methods: Duri...

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Main Authors: Teresa Urbano, Marco Vinceti, Chiara Carbone, Lauren A. Wise, Marcella Malavolti, Manuela Tondelli, Roberta Bedin, Giulia Vinceti, Alessandro Marti, Annalisa Chiari, Giovanna Zamboni, Bernhard Michalke, Tommaso Filippini
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Toxics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/12/933
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author Teresa Urbano
Marco Vinceti
Chiara Carbone
Lauren A. Wise
Marcella Malavolti
Manuela Tondelli
Roberta Bedin
Giulia Vinceti
Alessandro Marti
Annalisa Chiari
Giovanna Zamboni
Bernhard Michalke
Tommaso Filippini
author_facet Teresa Urbano
Marco Vinceti
Chiara Carbone
Lauren A. Wise
Marcella Malavolti
Manuela Tondelli
Roberta Bedin
Giulia Vinceti
Alessandro Marti
Annalisa Chiari
Giovanna Zamboni
Bernhard Michalke
Tommaso Filippini
author_sort Teresa Urbano
collection DOAJ
description Background: A limited number of studies have investigated the role of environmental chemicals in the etiology of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We performed a cross-sectional study of the association between exposure to selected trace elements and the biomarkers of cognitive decline. Methods: During 2019–2021, we recruited 128 newly diagnosed patients with MCI from two Neurology Clinics in Northern Italy, i.e., Modena and Reggio Emilia. At baseline, we measured serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. With immuno-enzymatic assays, we estimated concentrations of β-amyloid 1-40, β-amyloid 1-42, Total Tau and phosphorylated Tau181 proteins, neurofilament light chain (NfL), and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) to assess cognitive status. We used spline regression to explore the shape of the association between exposure and each endpoint, adjusted for age at diagnosis, educational attainment, MMSE, and sex. Results: In analyses between the serum and CSF concentrations of trace metals, we found monotonic positive correlations between copper and zinc, while an inverse association was observed for cadmium. Serum cadmium concentrations were inversely associated with amyloid ratio and positively associated with Tau proteins. Serum iron concentrations showed the opposite trend, while copper, manganese, and zinc displayed heterogeneous non-linear associations with amyloid ratio and Tau biomarkers. Regarding CSF exposure biomarkers, only cadmium consistently showed an inverse association with amyloid ratio, while iron was positively associated with Tau. Cadmium concentrations in CSF were not appreciably associated with serum NfL levels, while we observed an inverted U-shaped association with CSF NfL, similar to that observed for copper. In CSF, zinc was the only trace element positively associated with NfL at high concentrations. Conclusions: In this cross-sectional study, high serum cadmium concentrations were associated with selected biomarkers of cognitive impairment. Findings for the other trace elements were difficult to interpret, showing complex and inconsistent associations with the neurodegenerative endpoints examined.
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spelling doaj-art-e1bedaa86a8b47ce9f66ff401e5198a82024-12-27T14:56:51ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042024-12-01121293310.3390/toxics12120933Exposure to Cadmium and Other Trace Elements Among Individuals with Mild Cognitive ImpairmentTeresa Urbano0Marco Vinceti1Chiara Carbone2Lauren A. Wise3Marcella Malavolti4Manuela Tondelli5Roberta Bedin6Giulia Vinceti7Alessandro Marti8Annalisa Chiari9Giovanna Zamboni10Bernhard Michalke11Tommaso Filippini12Environmental, Genetics, and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center (CREAGEN), Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, ItalyEnvironmental, Genetics, and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center (CREAGEN), Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, ItalyDepartment of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USAEnvironmental, Genetics, and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center (CREAGEN), Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, ItalyNeurology Unit, Baggiovara Hospital, 41126 Modena, ItalyClinical Neuropsychology, Cognitive Disorders and Dyslexia Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, ItalyNeurology Unit, Baggiovara Hospital, 41126 Modena, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, ItalyResearch Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Helmholtz Center Munich, 85764 Neuherberg, GermanyEnvironmental, Genetics, and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center (CREAGEN), Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, ItalyBackground: A limited number of studies have investigated the role of environmental chemicals in the etiology of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We performed a cross-sectional study of the association between exposure to selected trace elements and the biomarkers of cognitive decline. Methods: During 2019–2021, we recruited 128 newly diagnosed patients with MCI from two Neurology Clinics in Northern Italy, i.e., Modena and Reggio Emilia. At baseline, we measured serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. With immuno-enzymatic assays, we estimated concentrations of β-amyloid 1-40, β-amyloid 1-42, Total Tau and phosphorylated Tau181 proteins, neurofilament light chain (NfL), and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) to assess cognitive status. We used spline regression to explore the shape of the association between exposure and each endpoint, adjusted for age at diagnosis, educational attainment, MMSE, and sex. Results: In analyses between the serum and CSF concentrations of trace metals, we found monotonic positive correlations between copper and zinc, while an inverse association was observed for cadmium. Serum cadmium concentrations were inversely associated with amyloid ratio and positively associated with Tau proteins. Serum iron concentrations showed the opposite trend, while copper, manganese, and zinc displayed heterogeneous non-linear associations with amyloid ratio and Tau biomarkers. Regarding CSF exposure biomarkers, only cadmium consistently showed an inverse association with amyloid ratio, while iron was positively associated with Tau. Cadmium concentrations in CSF were not appreciably associated with serum NfL levels, while we observed an inverted U-shaped association with CSF NfL, similar to that observed for copper. In CSF, zinc was the only trace element positively associated with NfL at high concentrations. Conclusions: In this cross-sectional study, high serum cadmium concentrations were associated with selected biomarkers of cognitive impairment. Findings for the other trace elements were difficult to interpret, showing complex and inconsistent associations with the neurodegenerative endpoints examined.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/12/933amyloid ratiomild cognitive impairmentneurofilament light chainTau proteinstrace elements
spellingShingle Teresa Urbano
Marco Vinceti
Chiara Carbone
Lauren A. Wise
Marcella Malavolti
Manuela Tondelli
Roberta Bedin
Giulia Vinceti
Alessandro Marti
Annalisa Chiari
Giovanna Zamboni
Bernhard Michalke
Tommaso Filippini
Exposure to Cadmium and Other Trace Elements Among Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Toxics
amyloid ratio
mild cognitive impairment
neurofilament light chain
Tau proteins
trace elements
title Exposure to Cadmium and Other Trace Elements Among Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment
title_full Exposure to Cadmium and Other Trace Elements Among Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment
title_fullStr Exposure to Cadmium and Other Trace Elements Among Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment
title_full_unstemmed Exposure to Cadmium and Other Trace Elements Among Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment
title_short Exposure to Cadmium and Other Trace Elements Among Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment
title_sort exposure to cadmium and other trace elements among individuals with mild cognitive impairment
topic amyloid ratio
mild cognitive impairment
neurofilament light chain
Tau proteins
trace elements
url https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/12/933
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