The role of parental cadmium exposure in intergenerational metabolic reprogramming

This review is based on the prevalence of exposure to environment pollutants and their effects on metabolic health through epigenetic pathway over generations. Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy-metal with a half-life of 10 - 30 years that tends to accumulate in vital organs, thereby disturbing metabolic equilibrium. This review also highlights how maternal and paternal exposure to Cd can negatively impact the health and development of offspring, highlighting the importance of epigenetics and heritable transmission of metabolic disorders. This review highlights the epigenetic alterations caused by Cd exposure such as histone modifications, DNA methylation and noncoding RNA interactions. We also discuss the potential intergenerational effects that lead to variations in prenatal development, nutritional transport, and metabolism. This review also highlights the need for interdisciplinary approaches to understand the long-term effects of environmental pollutants and improve public health measures with, the aim of minimizing the effects of hazardous pollutants. To improve health outcomes, more investigations are needed to mitigate pollution and control, and more research on the molecular impact and focused therapies for health issues caused by the epigenetic influence of heavy metals.