Osteotoxicity of cadmium and lead in HOS TE 85 and ROS 17/2.8 cells: relation to metallothionein induction and mitochondrial binding.

Epidemiological, experimental and clinical data indicate that cadmium and lead are osteotoxins in man and other species. The relative sensitivities of a clonal human osteosarcoma cell line (HOS TE 85) and a clonal rat osteosarcoma cell line (ROS 17.28) to the cytotoxic effects of cadmium and lead were tested in serum-free media without added growth factors. The rat osteosarcoma cells were more sensitive to cadmium with cytotoxicity and inhibition of proliferation at 0.25 versus 0.75 and 1.0 mumol l-1 cadmium, respectively, for human osteosarcoma cell lines. The lower sensitivity to cadmium of human osteosarcoma cells is attributed, at least partly, to induction of metallothionein synthesis by cadmium and zinc in this cell line; in the rat osteosarcoma cell line, they do not induce metallothionein synthesis. Human osteosarcoma cells were more sensitive than rat osteosarcoma cells to lead with inhibition (IC50) of proliferation at 4 mumol l-1 lead and cytotoxicity at 20 versus 6 and over 20 mumol l-1 lead, respectively, for these variables in rat osteosarcoma cells. Both cell lines attained the highest lead concentration in the 15,000 x g (mitochondrial) fraction. The lead in the mitochondrial, microsomal, nuclear and cytosolic fractions of the human cell line did not decrease during 24 h post-washout. Binding of lead was much less stable in the less sensitive rat cells, with 50-100% loss of mitochondrial, microsomal and nuclear lead during 24 h post-washout.