Oxidative stress and cardiovascular risk related to urinary metal(loid) levels in a pediatric population

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death, and reducing them requires identifying risk factors, among which exposure to environmental pollutants is well documented. Metal(loid) exposure is related to oxidative stress (OxS), in which oxygen radicals react with biomolecules, thus altering the cardiovascular system. This study aimed to identify cardiovascular risk factors and their relationship with OxS biomarkers. A cross-sectional study (CINVESTAV-063-2020/HIM-2019-025) was conducted in an apparently healthy pediatric population (N = 359). Metal(loid)s were measured by ICP-MS, and enzymatic and colorimetric techniques were applied for OxS determination. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. A weighted quantile sum (WQS) approach was used to examine the mixture effect and identify the components associated with a health outcome. Finally, spatial autocorrelation was estimated for metal(loid)s and environmental sources. The median age of the participants was 14 years, 30% were overweight or obese, and cardiovascular risk was 32.6%. Median metal(loid) concentrations (ng/mL) were 34.5 for arsenic, 27.2 for copper, 0.837 for manganese, and 7.45 for vanadium. There was an association between the multi-OxS biomarkers and cardiovascular risk (OR: 0.4291, 95% CI: 0.281-0.577). However, there was no relationship between the multi-metal(loid)s and cardiovascular risk, but there were significant correlations between the OxS biomarkers and urinary metal(loid)s. Spatial autocorrelation was observed for vanadium and arsenic. OxS biomarkers were associated with cardiovascular risk and some related factors. Furthermore, the presence of metal(loid)s is involved in redox imbalance, which appears to increase cardiovascular risk, and the spatial autocorrelation observed suggests exposure to vanadium and arsenic.