Heavy metal influence on BDE‐47 uptake in the human KERTr keratinocyte cell line

• Published in: Environmental toxicology 2014-03, Vol.29 (3), p.354-361
• Main Authors: Kang, Yuan, Yin, Yi, Zhang, Qiu Yun, Li, Lai Sheng, Zeng, Li Xuan, Luo, Ji Wen, Wong, Ming Hung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: arsenic; Arsenic - pharmacokinetics; cadmium; Cadmium - pharmacokinetics; Cell Line; gene expression regulation; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; genes; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - pharmacokinetics; heavy metals; Humans; Keratinocytes - metabolism; KERTr; lead; Lead - pharmacokinetics; Mercury - pharmacokinetics; Metals, Heavy - pharmacokinetics; Organic Anion Transporters - genetics; Organic Anion Transporters - metabolism; PBDEs; risk assessment; uptake
• ISSN: 1520-4081; 1522-7278
• DOI: 10.1002/tox.21849

Significant correlations between concentrations of PBDEs and heavy metals were observed in the human body. However, there is a lack of evidence on the linkage between the uptake of heavy metals and PBDEs. This study is the first report on the BDE‐47 uptake profile in a human cell line. Hg and As exposures to KERTr (human skin derived keratinocyte) did not significantly (p > 0.05) affect the uptake of BDE47, whereas Pb and Cd significantly (p < 0.05) affected the uptake of BDE‐47 in KERTr. The change in Kₘ was minor after exposure to all heavy metals. The maximum transport rate (Vₘₐₓ) after exposure to Pb (Vₘₐₓ: 5.23 ± 0.49) and As (Vₘₐₓ: 4.95 ± 0.60) was significantly increased when compared with the background of the KERTr cell line (Vₘₐₓ: 4.07 ± 0.35). Real‐time RT‐PCR indicated that OATP‐B, OATP‐D, and OATP‐E were expressed in the KERTr cell line. The upregulation or downregulation of OATP B and D genes were minor after exposure to heavy metals, but the OATP E gene was upregulated by three to fourfold in KERTr cell line after exposure to Pb an Cd, which may explain the significant increase of uptake of BDE‐47 in KERTr after exposures to Pb and Cd. This study indicated that the uptake effects should be considered when performing risk assessment of human exposure to PBDEs and heavy metal. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 354–361, 2014.