Vanadium exposure and kidney markers in a pediatric population: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, West) West), 2024-12
• Main Authors: Rojas-Lima, Elodia, Ortega-Romero, Manolo, Aztatzi-Aguilar, Octavio Gamaliel, Rubio-Gutiérrez, Juan Carlos, Narváez-Morales, Juana, Esparza-García, Mariela, Méndez-Hernández, Pablo, Medeiros, Mara, Barbier, Olivier Christophe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0931-041X; 1432-198X; 1432-198X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00467-024-06561-9

Anthropogenic vanadium (V) emissions and exposure in the general population have recently increased. Experimental studies have shown that V is a nephrotoxic agent, but little is known about its effects on human kidney health. This work evaluated the association between urinary V concentrations with early kidney damage biomarkers and function in a pediatric population without any disease diagnosed. A cross-sectional study was carried out and included 914 healthy subjects and determined urinary V concentrations, glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR), and the presence of kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in urine. We evaluated the V effect using linear and logistic regression models adjusted by confounders. Subjects found in the second and third tertiles of V showed an increase in urinary log-NGAL levels (βT2 vs. T1 = 0.39; 95% CI 0.14, 0.64, and βT3 vs. T1 = 1.04; 95% CI 0.75, 1.34) and log-KIM-1(βT2 vs. T1 = 0.25; 95% CI 0.04, 0.45 and βT3 vs. T1 = 0.39; 95% CI 0.15, 0.63); in addition, subjects in the third tertile had a positive and significant association with ACR (ORT3 vs. T1 = 1.96; 95% CI 1.29, 2.97) and increased in eGFR (βT3 vs. T1 = 3.98, 95% CI 0.39, 7.58), compared with subjects in the first tertile. Our study reports the effect of V on kidney markers in a healthy pediatric population. It could be related to tubulointerstitial lesions and function abnormalities.