title: A study of the synergistic interaction of asbestos fibers with cigarette tar extracts for the generation of hydroxyl radicals in aqueous buffer solution.
abstract: Several models attempt to explain the synergistic increase in lung cancer among workers exposed to asbestos fibers, who were smokers at the same time. It is known that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important mediators in asbestos-induced diseases, especially cancer. We studied quantitatively the formation of ROS (by spin trapping with DMPO) in aqueous buffer suspensions containing crocidolite (UICC), chrysotile (UICC and commercial, long fibers) alone, and in combination with aqueous cigarette tar extracts. It was observed that asbestos and cigarette tar act in a cooperative or synergistic way in the generation of hydroxyl radical spin adducts. Grinding of asbestos fibers and addition of EDTA (iron chelator) enhanced the intensity of the ESR signal. This enhancement progressed with time, probably due to the reaction of the extracted iron with the slow released hydrogen peroxide from tar extracts. It was observed a fivefold increase in the ESR signal (for crocidolite and aqueous tar extracts) in the formation of hydroxyl radicals via an iron-catalyzed Fenton reaction. These experimental results are suggest to be strong evidence to the fact that lung cancer has been found in asbestos workers exposed to high concentrations of fibers in the working environment who were smokers, and only rarely in nonsmokers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valavanidis
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Balomenou
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Macropoulou
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zarodimos
mesh_terms: D001194:Asbestos / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D017638:Asbestos, Crocidolite / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017632:Asbestos, Serpentine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D006801:Humans; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012907:Smoking; D013113:Spin Labels; D013638:Tars / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D014026:Nicotiana
chemical_list: D017632:Asbestos, Serpentine; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D013113:Spin Labels; D013638:Tars; C015388:nitrones; C024746:tobacco tar; D017638:Asbestos, Crocidolite; D001194:Asbestos; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical; D004492:Edetic Acid