title: Persistent organic pollutants and liver dysfunction biomarkers in a population-based human sample of men and women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are stable organic compounds generated through different industrial activities. Liver is involved in the metabolism of POPs, and hence exposure to POPs may interfere with liver function. Although a few studies have shown adverse effects of POPs on liver function, large-scale studies involving humans are lacking. We performed this large population-based cross-sectional study to assess the associations between different POPs and liver dysfunction biomarkers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 992 individuals (all aged 70 years, 50% males) were recruited as part of Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) cohort. The total toxic equivalency (TEQ) value was calculated for seven mono-ortho and two non-ortho substituted polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and octachloro-p-dibenzodioxin (OCDD) to assess their toxicological effects. The association of TEQ values, summary measures of 16 PCBs (sum of PCBs) and three organochlorine pesticides (sum of OC pesticides) with liver dysfunction biomarkers (bilirubin; alkaline phosphatase, ALP; alanine aminotransferase, ALT; and gamma-glutamyltransferase, GGT) was analyzed utilizing linear regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mono-ortho PCB TEQ values were found to be significantly positively associated with bilirubin (β=0.71, P=0.008), while sum of OC pesticide concentrations was negatively associated with ALP (β=-0.02, P=0.002) after adjusting for various potential confounders. When analyzed individually, a number of different POPs were associated with ALP, ALT and bilirubin. No such association with GGT was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Various POPs including PCBs, OCDD and pesticides were associated with the liver dysfunction biomarkers bilirubin, ALT and ALP, suggesting adverse effects on liver function from these environmental pollutants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Molecular Epidemiology and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jitender
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salihovic
authors.affiliation: MTM Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Bavel
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Molecular Epidemiology and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ingelsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University, Akademiska sjukhuset, Ulleråkersvägen 40, SE-75185 Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: monica.lind@medsci.uu.se.
authors.forename: P Monica
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Lind
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000633:toxicity*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009930:Organic Chemicals
keywords: Cross-sectional study; Human population; Liver dysfunction markers; Persistent organic pollutants