Determinants of serum manganese levels in an Italian population.
Manganese (Mn) is both essential and toxic for humans, mainly depending on the total levels and its species. Main sources of exposure include food and air pollution, particularly motorized traffic. We sought to determine the potential influence of these sources on serum total levels of Mn and Mn species. We selected a random sample of municipality residents from an Italian urban municipality, from whom we collected detailed personal information, dietary habits and a blood sample for serum Mn determination. We also assessed outdoor air Mn exposure, by modeling levels of particulate matter ≤10 µm (PM10) from motorized traffic at the residence of geocoded subjects. Serum Mn species generally showed higher levels in males and positive correlation with age, while no such differences were found according to smoking habits or use of dietary supplements. Among nutrients, only iron intake showed a relation with Mn [an inverse correlation with Mn‑ferritin (Mn‑Fer) and a direct one with inorganic‑Mn (Inorg‑Mn)]. Meat consumption directly correlated and fish and seafood inversely correlated with total Mn, Mn‑transferrin (Mn‑Tf) and Mn-citrate (Mn-Cit). Fruits and vegetables, including legumes and nuts, generally showed a positive correlation with all Mn species, especially Mn‑Cit, and an inverse one with Inorg‑Mn. Odds ratios (ORs) of having serum Mn levels above median value increased with increasing PM10 tertiles, with an OR for highest‑to‑lowest tertile of 7.40 (1.36‑40.25) in multivariate analysis. Analyses for Mn species did not highlight a clear comparable pattern. In conclusion, our results seem to demonstrate that PM10 exposure positively influences total Mn serum levels, while single Mn species show conflicting results.
CREAGEN, Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center, Section of Public Health, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, I‑41125 Modena, Italy.
Tommaso
T
Filippini
Helmholtz Zentrum München, Research Center for Environmental Health, Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, D‑85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
Bernhard
B
Michalke
Helmholtz Zentrum München, Research Center for Environmental Health, Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, D‑85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
Peter
P
Grill
CREAGEN, Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center, Section of Public Health, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, I‑41125 Modena, Italy.
Carlotta
C
Malagoli
CREAGEN, Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center, Section of Public Health, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, I‑41125 Modena, Italy.
Marcella
M
Malavolti
Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, IREN, I-42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Luciano
L
Vescovi
Epidemiology and Prevention Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori I‑20133 Milan, Italy.
Sabina
S
Sieri
Epidemiology and Prevention Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori I‑20133 Milan, Italy.
Vittorio
V
Krogh
TerrAria s.r.l., I‑20125 Milan, Italy.
Andrea
A
Cherubini
TerrAria s.r.l., I‑20125 Milan, Italy.
Giuseppe
G
Maffeis
Section of Occupational Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, I‑25125 Brescia, Italy.
Roberto
R
Lucchini
Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies 'G.F. Ingrassia', University of Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy.
Margherita
M
Ferrante
CREAGEN, Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center, Section of Public Health, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, I‑41125 Modena, Italy.
Marco
M
Vinceti
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D004032:Diet; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese / Q000097:blood*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis
D052638:Particulate Matter; D008345:Manganese