engleski

Placental cadmium concentration as an indicator of maternal tobacco smoking

Tobacco smoke is a mixture of toxic chemicals with reproductive endocrine-disrupting potential including cadmium. We monitored tobacco smoke exposure in healthy subjects (mean age 28) after vaginal delivery at term in a clinical hospital. Based on self-ascertainment and maternal hair nicotine concentrations (measured in min. 12 cm long samples by GC-MS) 3 groups were identified: 32 smokers, 35 passive smokers and 19 nonsmokers. Cadmium concentrations were analyzed (by ICP-MS) in maternal blood, umbilical cord blood and the placenta. We found increases in hair nicotine of ca. 7 times and maternal blood cadmium of ca. 4 times in smokers vs. passive smokers and nonsmokers. Cord blood cadmium concentrations were equally low (< 0.1 ppb) in all of the groups. Placental cadmium was significantly higher in smokers than in passive smokers and nonsmokers. In conclusion, apart from hair nicotine, placental cadmium could serve as an alternative noninvasive marker of active tobacco smoking in postpartum smokers.

cadmium; nicotine; noninvasive biomarker; placenta; postpartum women

Priopćenju je dodijeljena nagrada 'ISTERH Investigator Award' međunarodnog društva International Society for Trace Element Research in Humans tijekom održavanja kongresa X ISTERH - Trace Element Research on Health and Diseases, Tokyo, Japan za izvrsno izlaganje istraživanja.