Review of polyphenol‐rich products as potential protective and therapeutic factors against cadmium hepatotoxicity

• Published in: Journal of applied toxicology 2019-01, Vol.39 (1), p.117-145
• Main Authors: Mężyńska, Magdalena, Brzóska, Malgorzata M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; antioxidants; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Blueberries; Cadmium; Cadmium - toxicity; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - drug therapy; Chemical compounds; complexation; Diet; Environmental Exposure; Exposure; Food; Food production; Food products; Ginger; Green tea; Health risks; Heavy metals; Hepatotoxicity; Humans; Liver; minerals; Models, Animal; Oils & fats; Olive oil; Organs; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Pharmacology; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Pollutants; Polyphenols; protection; Protective Agents - pharmacology; Protective Agents - therapeutic use; treatment
• ISSN: 0260-437X; 1099-1263
• DOI: 10.1002/jat.3709

Recently, the growing attention of the scientific community has been focused on the threat to health created by environmental pollutants, including toxic metals such as cadmium (Cd), and on the need of finding effective ways to prevent and treat the unfavorable health effects of exposure to them. Particularly promising for Cd, and thus arousing the greatest interest, is the possibility of using various ingredients present in plants, including mainly polyphenolic compounds. As the liver is one of the target organs for this toxic metal and disturbances in the proper functioning of this organ have serious consequences for health, the aim of the present review was to discuss the possibility of using polyphenol‐rich food products (e.g., chokeberry, black and green tea, blueberry, olive oil, rosemary and ginger) as the strategy in protection from this xenobiotic hepatotoxicity and treatment of this heavy metal‐induced liver damage. Owing to the ability of polyphenols to bind ions of Cd and the strong antioxidative potential of these compounds, as well as their abundance in dietary products, it seems to be of high importance to consider the possibility of using polyphenols as potential preventive and therapeutic agents against Cd hepatotoxicity, determined by its strong pro‐oxidative properties. Although most of the data on the effectiveness of polyphenols comes from studies in animals, the fact that some of them are derived from experimental models that reflect human exposure to this metal allows us to assume that some polyphenol‐rich food products may be promising protective agents against Cd hepatotoxicity in humans. Cadmium (Cd) is a common environmental pollutant to which the general population is exposed during a lifetime. Chronic intoxication with this metal creates a risk of damage to various organs and systems, including the liver. Owing to the strong antioxidative potential and ability to chelate Cd ions, polyphenols are considered as potential protective and therapeutic agents against unfavorable Cd action. This review focuses on polyphenol‐rich food products, which seem to be potential effective factors in the protection from Cd hepatotoxicity.