Cadmium Exposure Promotes Atherosclerosis by Disrupting Cholesterol Homeostasis via miR-30d-5p Regulation

, respectively, thereby promoting intracellular lipid accumulation. In a case-control population (494 IS patients and 494 controls), plasma miR-30d-5p levels were positively associated with Cd exposure and partially mediated the Cd-stroke association, accounting for 16.4% of the total effect. Moreover, miR-30d-5p significantly improved the discrimination and reclassification of IS patients beyond the traditional risk factors. In summary, our findings reveal that Cd induces atherosclerosis by disrupting cholesterol homeostasis and modulating miRNA-regulated pathways with plasma miR-30d-5p serving as a potential biomarker and mediator for Cd-related ischemic stroke. Further perspective investigations are warranted to validate our findings.