3D organ model shows cadmium exposure in pregnancy may affect heart development

2022

Challenge

Cadmium is a metal that can be released into the environment through mining and various industrial processes, and it has been found in air, soil, water, and tobacco. The metal can also enter the food chain when plants absorb it from soil. Previous studies suggested that maternal exposure to cadmium might be a significant risk factor for congenital heart disease, which affects more than 40,000 newborns in the United States each year. However, those studies could not confirm whether or how cadmium causes that condition.

Advance

Using human pluripotent stem cells, which are created using immature cells taken from skin or other tissue samples, IRP researchers led by Erik Tokar, Ph.D., designed a 3D organ model, called an organoid, that mimics how the human heart develops. The researchers showed how exposure to low levels of cadmium can block the normal formation of cardiomyocytes, the main type of cell that makes up the heart. In doing so, they revealed biological mechanisms that might explain how cadmium could cause heart abnormalities.

Impact

Having a 3D model that can simulate the development of a beating human heart is not only useful for studying cadmium, but for studying other chemicals and substances as well. It may also benefit other scientists working on ways to prevent congenital heart disease in newborns by providing a platform that can help identify how known or possible heart toxins may cause or contribute to adverse developmental outcomes.

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