[Research progress of the mechanisms underlying cadmium-induced carcinogenesis].

Since cadmium is an indirect genotoxic carcinogen, epigenetic modifications could be one of the major mechanisms underlying cadmium-induced carcinogenesis. It has been proposed that epigenetic alterations might be associated with cadmium-induced carcinogenesis, such as disruptions of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA expression profile, which would result in abnormal expression of carcinogenesis-related genes and/or imbalance of signal transduction pathways. Other mechanisms of cadmium-induced carcinogenesis consist of disruption of gene regulation and signaling pathways, repression of DNA repair, suppression of apoptosis, induction of oxidative stress and autophagy. Here, we reviewed the research of both epigenetic and non-epigenetic mechanisms underlying cadmium-induced carcinogenesis.