title: Increased serum bile acids as a possible biomarker of hepatotoxicity in Brazilian workers exposed to solvents in car repainting shops.
abstract: The objective was to evaluate total serum bile acids (SBA) as a biological marker of hepatotoxicity in car painters exposed to organic solvents and to compare their performance with classic biochemical parameters of liver function. SBA were analysed in a selected group of workers (n=57) occupationally exposed to a mixture of organic solvents and in a control group (n=51). In addition, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin (TB), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined in the two groups. Urinary hippuric acid was measured in all samples. Statistical analysis of the data revealed a significant increase in the concentration of SBA, AST, ALP and TB in exposed workers compared with controls (Mann-Whitney, p</=0.05). However, SBA was the parameter most frequently altered in exposed workers and showed higher significance between the two groups (chi-square test) compared with the upper limit of the reference range (8 micromol l(-1)). In conclusion, SBA can be considered to be a sensitive parameter of hepatotoxicity induced by organic solvents than the traditional tests and it can be used as an biological marker of subclinical liver injury.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nunes de Paiva
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pereira Bastos de Siqueira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers; D001938:Brazil; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012997:Solvents / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D015415:Biomarkers; D012997:Solvents