Host: The Japanese Society of Toxicology
Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death in developed countries. Cadmium is a heavy metal known as a risk factor for vascular diseases. Metallothionein (MT) is a cytoprotective protein induced by heavy metals such as cadmium and zinc. However, endothelial MT are not induced by inorganic zinc, suggesting that the mechanisms underlying the MT induction are different between endothelial cells and other cell types. In this symposium, we introduce our findings on the role of endothelial MT in cadmium toxicity and the mechanisms underlying the MT induction.
