Association of urinary cadmium with renal injury biomarkers and optimal cut-off value of urinary cadmium in preschool children from a mining area of northwestern China

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to explore the relationship between urinary cadmium (U-Cd) and biomarkers of renal injury, identify sensitive biomarkers associated with cadmium-exposure-related renal injury, and evaluate the optimal cut-off value for U-Cd in preschool children.

Methods

Morning urine samples were collected from 420 preschool children (231 boys and 189 girls) to detect urinalysis, U-Cd, and renal injury biomarkers, including urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (UNAG), urinary β₂-microglobulin (Uβ₂-MG), and urinary retinol-binding protein (URBP). Pearson correlation, quantile regression, and logistic regression models were utilized to explore the relationships between U-Cd and the renal injury biomarkers. Receiver operating characteristic curves were employed to determine the optimal cut-off value of U-Cd for inducing abnormalities in renal injury biomarkers.

Results

U-Cd demonstrated positive associations with UNAG, Uβ₂-MG, and URBP. The optimal cut-off values of U-Cd for inducing abnormalities in UNAG, Uβ₂-MG, URBP, and combined biomarker were 7.78, 14.74, 12.75, and 10.42 μg/g cr, respectively. When the sensitivity was set at 95 %, the cut-off values were adjusted to 4.70, 10.42, 11.07, and 5.18 μg/g cr, respectively.

Conclusion

U-Cd was significantly associated with renal injury biomarkers. Our findings suggest that the appropriate cut-off value for U-Cd should be established based on the sensitivity and specificity of various renal injury biomarkers.