Association and mediation analyses among multiple metal exposure, mineralocorticoid levels, and serum ion balance in residents of northwest China

• Published in: Scientific reports 2024-04, Vol.14 (1), p.8023-8023, Article 8023
• Main Authors: Zhang, Honglong, Yan, Jun, Nie, Guole, Xie, Danna, Zhu, Xingwang, Niu, Jingping, Li, Xun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/308; 692/499; 704/172; 704/844; Arsenic; Arsenic - toxicity; Cadmium; Cadmium - toxicity; China; Deoxycorticosterone; Exposure; Exposure–response relationship; Health risks; Heavy Metal Poisoning; Heavy metals; Homeostasis; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Ions; Iron; Lead; Lead - toxicity; Lead content; Mediation Analysis; Metal concentrations; Metals, Heavy - toxicity; Mineralocorticoids; multidisciplinary; Risk factors; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Selenium; Serum ions; Toxic metals; Zinc
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58607-5

Toxic metals are vital risk factors affecting serum ion balance; however, the effect of their co-exposure on serum ions and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. We assessed the correlations of single metal and mixed metals with serum ion levels, and the mediating effects of mineralocorticoids by investigating toxic metal concentrations in the blood, as well as the levels of representative mineralocorticoids, such as deoxycorticosterone (DOC), and serum ions in 471 participants from the Dongdagou–Xinglong cohort. In the single-exposure model, sodium and chloride levels were positively correlated with arsenic, selenium, cadmium, and lead levels and negatively correlated with zinc levels, whereas potassium and iron levels and the anion gap were positively correlated with zinc levels and negatively correlated with selenium, cadmium and lead levels (all P