Possible Combined Effects of Plasma Folate Levels, Global DNA Methylation, and Blood Cadmium Concentrations on Renal Cell Carcinoma

Chao Yuan Huang, Wei Jen Chen, Hui Ling Lee, Ying Chin Lin, Ya Li Huang, Horng Sheng Shiue, Yeong Shiau Pu, Yu Mei Hsueh*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Epigenetic effects of environmental pollutants may be related to carcinogenesis. This study aimed to explore the association between the global DNA methylation marker: 5-methyl-2-deoxycytidine (5mdC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and further investigated whether plasma folate and vitamin B12 levels and 5mdC modified the association between blood cadmium concentrations and RCC. We recruited 174 RCC patients and 673 non-RCC controls. Blood cadmium concentrations, plasma folate and vitamin B12 levels were measured. The amount of 5mdC in the DNA sample was expressed as percentages of the total cytosine content. An increase of 5mdC (%) and plasma folate and vitamin B12 levels were associated with decreasing odds ratio (OR) of RCC. Although plasma folate levels were not directly associated with 5mdC (%), a combined effect was observed with the odds of low plasma folate levels and low 5mdC (%) were greater among RCC patients compared to controls (OR (95% confidence interval, CI) = 11.86 (5.27–26.65)). Additionally, we observed that the odds of low plasma folate and high blood cadmium levels were greater among RCC patients than in controls (OR (95% CI): 8.15 (1.39–7.13)). This study provides suggestive evidence that plasma folate levels may modify the associations between 5mdC (%) or blood cadmium concentrations and RCC.

Original languageEnglish
Article number937
JournalNutrients
Volume15
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 02 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.

Keywords

  • 5-Methyl-2-deoxycytidine
  • cadmium
  • folate
  • renal cell carcinoma
  • vitamin B
  • Folic Acid
  • Cadmium
  • Kidney Neoplasms
  • Humans
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Vitamins
  • DNA Methylation
  • Vitamin B 12
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell
  • Homocysteine

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