Review of Correlations Between Telomere Length and Metal Exposure Across Distinct Populations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Abadin H ; Alman B ; Antonini JM ; Beddingfield Z ; Faroon O ; Ji C ; Ruiz P ; Shoeb M ; Zarus GM
• Description:
  Telomere length (TL) predicts the onset of replicative senescence, and its shortening is a limiter on the number of divisions individual somatic cells can perform. Metal-induced genotoxic events are discussed in Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) toxicological profiles. In vivo and in vitro toxicological studies suggest the correlation between toxic metals and TL. However, the correlation between TL and exposure to toxic metals in human populations is unclear despite decades of observational research. We conducted a literature search within the ATSDR toxicological profiles and PubMed database for peer-reviewed articles as of 04/2023 discussing TL and metal exposure in human populations. Through review of the 272 publications meeting these criteria, we identified 25 observational studies that considered the correlation between TL and exposure to some or all of six metals: cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), lead (Pb), and cesium (Cs). Because reported effect sizes were often not comparable across studies, we performed a sign test based on the reported significance for each metal-TL correlation. We found that Cd was consistently significantly correlated with shorter telomeres (p = 0.016). However, no consistent linear relationship was observed between TL and any of the other metals considered. Exploring this association can enhance our understanding of how metal exposure may influence TL dysfunction. Our findings suggest that Cd exposure contributes to shorter TL, which may affect the DNA damage response (DDR) resulting in numerous chronic health conditions. Further, we highlight inconsistencies in findings on the correlation between metal exposure and TL across different populations and exposure levels. This suggests that correlations between some metals and TL may vary across populations, and that correlations may change at different exposure levels. Also, our findings suggest the need for further research on the potential for nonlinear relationships and non-additive effects of co-exposure to multiple hazardous metals, which could explain the inconsistencies observed across studies. The inconsistent incidences of metal-TL correlations justify additional exploration into the complex interaction between metals and TL. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Metals Occupational Health Safety Toxicology
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: DNA Damage DNA Damage End Replication Environmental Exposure Genotoxic Effects Ribonucleic Acids RNA Telomere
• ISSN:
  2076-3298
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; Georgia ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA] ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  11
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070451
• Citation:
  Environments 2024 Dec; 11(12):280
• Contact Point Address:
  Mohammad Shoeb, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Office of Innovation and Analytics, Toxicology Section, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA 30341
• Email:
  ywo7@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Environments
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:59c7b5542a5020c89fe8ad210085be5436bc65aa6b69ec27af99d1edeca3e919eb323e470d3a2526ce765b5eab739a79ad5467fe1b3755f101055598ec6b1a0f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208656/cdc_208656_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.12 MB ]