Identification of Proteineous Biomarkers for Cadmium- and Ceramide- Induced Toxicity in Human Brain Cells through Display Proteomic Analysis

Cadmium is an environmental pollutant and exhibits nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and immunotoxicity. Recently, cadmium was found to induce DNA fragmentation, a biochemical hallmark of apoptosis, in cultured renal cells, hepatocytes and neuroblastoma cell. Therefore, the various toxicities of cadmium are thought to be caused by the induction of apoptosis. Lipids-derived pro-apoptotic ceramide has emerged as an important intracellular signaling molecule that mediates diverse cellular effects, of which programmed cell death, or apoptosis, has attracted significant interest. (omitted)