Cadmium selectively inhibits fibroblast procollagen production and proliferation

Experimental studies of the role of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) in the connective tissue lung diseases show that CdCl2 suppresses the generation of fibroblast procollagen and the growth of fibroblasts but has no effect on the synthesis of noncollagen proteins. The inhibitory action is dose-dependent, with maximum inhibition occurring at 40 micro M and 10 micro M of CdCl2 in human and rat fetal fibroblasts. The reduction in procollagen synthesis and the rise in the degradation of the newly synthesized procollagen inhibit procollagen production, indicating that CdCl2 contributes to tissue pathogenesis in the lungs.