title: Changes in oxidative stress biomarker and gene expression levels in workers exposed to volatile organic compounds.
abstract: Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was known to result in immunologic, respiratory, carcinogenic, reproductive, neurologic, and cardiovascular effects. However, the mechanisms by which VOCs induce these adverse health effects are not well understood. To evaluate the change of oxidative stress biomarker and gene expression levels in workers exposed to VOCs, we obtained urine and blood samples from 21 subjects before and after occupational exposure to VOCs. We measured levels of muconic acid (MuA), hippuric acid (HA), mandelic acid (MaA), and methyl hippuric acid (MHA) as urinary exposure biomarkers for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (collectively BTEX), and malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanine (8-OHdG) as oxidative stress biomarkers in all subjects. We also evaluated BTEX-mediated RNA expression using cDNA microarray in 14 subjects. HA and MHA levels were higher following occupational exposure to VOCs (p < 0.01). In the linear regression analysis, HA ratios of after- and before-exposure were found to be significantly associated with increase of MDA ratios of after- and before-exposure after controlling for age, body mass index, and smoking (β = 0.06, p = 0.031). Evaluation of the gene expressions by HA showed that 23 gene expressions were found to be significantly associated with HA levels after adjusting for age, body mass index, and smoking (p < 0.001). In particular, expressions of ENO3 and CDNA FLJ39461 fis among the 23 genes were significantly associated with the change in MDA level (p < 0.05). Our study results suggest that exposure to VOCs, specifically toluene, induces oxidative stress and various gene expression change of which some may be responsible for oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongno-gu, Seoul 110-799, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jae Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Eun-Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kwan-Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yun-Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D000328:Adult; D001554:Benzene / Q000009:adverse effects; D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000009:adverse effects; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects*; D006147:Guanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D006626:Hippurates / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D008333:Mandelic Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D013011:Sorbic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D014050:Toluene / Q000009:adverse effects; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014992:Xylenes / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D015415:Biomarkers; D006626:Hippurates; D008333:Mandelic Acids; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D014992:Xylenes; D014050:Toluene; C005939:muconic acid; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D006147:Guanine; C078307:8-oxo-7,8-dihydrodeoxyguanine; D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; D001554:Benzene; C004912:ethylbenzene; C037938:mandelic acid; C030514:hippuric acid; D013011:Sorbic Acid