Quercetin Protects Human Thyroid Cells against Cadmium Toxicity

• Main Authors: Francesca Capriglione, Jessica Maiuolo, Marilena Celano, Giuseppe Damante, Diego Russo, Stefania Bulotta, Valentina Maggisano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: endocrine disruptors; normal thyroid cells; cadmium; quercetin; ROS
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/13/6849

Various natural compounds have been successfully tested for preventing or counteracting the toxic effects of exposure to heavy metals. In this study, we analyzed the effects of cadmium chloride (CdCl₂) on immortalized, non-tumorigenic thyroid cells Nthy-ori-3-1. We investigated the molecular mechanism underlying its toxic action as well as the potential protective effect of quercetin against CdCl₂-induced damage. CdCl₂ suppressed cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner (IC50 value ~10 μM) associated with a decrease in levels of phospho-ERK. In addition, CdCl₂ elicited an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lipid peroxidation. A significant increase in GRP78, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related protein, was also observed. Supplementation of quercetin counteracted the growth-inhibiting action of CdCl₂ by recovering ERK protein phosphorylation levels, attenuating ROS overproduction, decreasing MDA content and reducing the expression of GRP78 in cells exposed to CdCl₂. Thus, in addition to revealing the molecular effects involved in cadmium-induced toxicity, the present study demonstrated, for the first time, a protective effect of quercetin against cadmium-induced damages to normal thyroid cells.