Distribution and Association Form of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments from Tokyo Bay

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), including fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)-anthracene, chrysene, benzo(a)pyrene (benzo(e)pyrene), dibenzo(a,h)anthracene and benzo(ghi)perylene, were identified and determined in sediments from Tokyo Bay. Their concentrations were proved to be in a range from several tens to several hundreds µg/kg of dry samples. This seems to suggest that the smaller are the average particle sizes of sediments and the higher are the total amounts of PAH concentrations.

Statistically significant positive correlations were observed between the following pairs: total amount of PAH vs. clay content; total amount of PAH vs. the sum of (clay + silt) contents; total amount of PAH vs. ignition loss. In addition, significant positive correlations were statistically found between ignition loss and clay content as well as the sum of (clay + silt) contents.     

Degradation of eight highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Pleurotus sp. Florida in solid wheat straw substrate

The degradation of eight unlabeled highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and the mineralization of three ¹⁴C-labeled PAH by the white-rot fungus Pleurotus sp. Florida was investigated. Three concentrations containing 50, 250 or 1250 μg each unlabeled PAH/5 g straw were added to sterile sea sand. Selected treatments were added subsequently with ¹⁴C-labeled pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene or benzo[a]pyrene. The PAH-loaded sea sand was then mixed into straw substrate and incubated. The disappearance of the unlabeled four-to six-ring PAH: pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene and benzo[ghi]perylene, was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. After 15 weeks of incubation, the recoveries were less than 25% for initial amounts of 50 μg (controls above 85%). The recoveries of unlabeled PAH increased in the inoculated samples with increasing concentrations applied. No correlation could be determined between the number of condensed rings of the PAH and the recoveries of added PAH. Pleurotus sp. Florida mineralized 53% [¹⁴C]pyrene, 25% [¹⁴C]benzo[a]anthracene and 39% [¹⁴C]benzo[a]pyrene to ¹⁴CO₂ in the presence of eight unlabeled PAH (50 μg applied) within 15 weeks. During the course of cultivation, Pleurotus sp. Florida degraded more than 40% of the wheat straw substrate. Variation of the initial concentration of PAH did not influence the extent of degradation of the organic matter. Received: 16 December 1996 / Received revision: 17 March 1997 / Accepted: 22 March 1997     

Biodegradation and sorption of polyaromatic hydrocarbons by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The ability of the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium (INA-12) to degrade various polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was investigated. Under static, non-nitrogen-limiting conditions, P. chrysosporium mineralized both phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene. Total mineralization, based on radioactive tracing, was limited to 1.8%–3% for phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene respectively. In both cases the pattern of mineralization did not correlate temporally with the production of lignin peroxidase activity. Sorption of radiolabelled material to the biomass was very significant with 22% and 40% of the total radioactivity being sorbed for benzo[a]pyrene and phenanthrene respectively. A number of models were examined to predict the sorption isotherms, the best performance being obtained with a three-parameter empirical model. It is apparent that lignin peroxidase is not necessarily involved in the biodegradation of all PAH and that a significant factor in PAH biodegradation and/or disappearance in cultures with the intact fungus may be attributed to sorption phenomena.     

Predicting the Efficacy of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Bioremediation in Creosote-Contaminated Soil Using Bioavailability Assays

Nonexhaustive extraction (propanol, butanol, hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin [HPCD]), persulfate oxidation and biodegradability assays were employed to determine the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in creosote-contaminated soil. After 16 weeks incubation, greater than 89% of three-ring compounds (acenaphthene, anthracene, fluorene, and phenanthrene) and 21% to 79% of four-ring compounds (benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, fluoranthene, and pyrene) were degraded by the indigenous microorganisms under biopile conditions. No significant decrease in five- (benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b+k]fluoranthene) and six-ring compounds (benz[g,h,i]perylene, indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene) was observed. Desorption of PAHs using propanol or butanol could not predict PAH biodegradability: low-molecular-weight PAH biodegradability was underestimated whereas high-molecular-weight PAH biodegradability was overestimated. Persulfate oxidation and HPCD extraction of creosote-contaminated soil was able to predict three- and four-ring PAH biodegradability; however, the biodegradability of five-ring PAHs was overestimated. These results demonstrate that persulfate oxidation and HPCD extraction are good predictors of PAH biodegradability for compounds with octanol-water partitioning coefficients of < 6.     

Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil by a two-step sequential treatment

The objectives of this work were to isolate the microorganisms responsible for a previously observed degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in soil and to test a method for cleaning a PAH-contaminated soil. An efficient PAH degrader was isolated from an agricultural soil and designated as Mycobacterium LP1. In liquid culture, it degraded phenanthrene (58%), pyrene (24%), anthracene (21%) and benzo(a)pyrene (10%) present in mixture (initial concentration 50 μg ml⁻¹ each) and phenanthrene (92%) and pyrene (94%) as sole carbon sources after 14 days of incubation at 30°C. In soil, Mycobacterium LP1 mineralised ¹⁴C-phenanthrene (45%) and ¹⁴C-pyrene (65%) after 10 days. The good ability of this Mycobacterium was combined with the benzo(a)pyrene oxidation effect obtained by 1% w/w rapeseed oil in a sequential treatment of a PAH-spiked soil (total PAH concentration 200 mg kg⁻¹). The first step was incubation with the bacterium for 12 days and the second step was the addition of the rapeseed oil after this time and a further incubation of 22 days. Phenanthrene (99%), pyrene (95%) and anthracene (99%) were mainly degraded in the first 12 days and a total of 85% of benzo(a)pyrene was transformed during the whole process. The feasibility of the method is discussed.     

Mycoremediation of PAH-contaminated soil

Out of a number of white-rot fungal cultures, strains ofIrpex lacteus andPleurotus ostreatus were selected for degradation of 7 three- and four-ring unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in two contaminated industrial soils. Respective data for removal of PAH in the two industrial soils byI. lacteus were: fluorene (41 and 67%), phenanthrene (20 and 56%), anthracene (29 and 49%), fluoranthene (29 and 57%), pyrene (24 and 42%), chrysene (16 and 32%) and benzo[a]anthracene (13 and 20%). In the same two industrial soilsP. ostreatus degraded the PAH with respective removal figures of fluorene (26 and 35%), phenanthrene (0 and 20%), anthracene (19 and 53%), fluoranthene (29 and 31%), pyrene (22 and 42%), chrysene (0 and 42%) and benzo[a]anthracene (0 and 13%). The degradation of PAH was determined against concentration of PAH in non-treated contaminated soils after 14 weeks of incubation. The fungal degradation of PAH in soil was studied simultaneously with ecotoxicity evaluation of fungal treated and non-treated contaminated soils. Compared to non-treated contaminated soil, fungus-treated soil samples indicated decrease in inhibition of bioluminescence in luminescent bacteria (Vibrio fischerii) and increase in germinated mustard (Brassica alba) seeds. An erratum to this article is available at .     

4S polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (glycine N‐methyltransferase) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (hypoxia inducible factor‐1β) interaction in Chinese hamster ovary and rat hepatoma cells: 4S PAH‐R/ARNT hetero‐oligomers?

Rat CYP1A1 promoter‐luciferase, transiently transfected wild‐type and 4S PAH receptor (glycine N‐methyl transferase, GNMT)‐transformed Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were exposed to benzo[a]pyrene and assayed for luciferase activity as an indicator of CYP1A1 promoter activity. CHO cells transformed with the rat 4S PAH receptor/GNMT expression vector had twice the induction level of luciferase activity with respect to wild‐type CHO cells in concert with previously published reports that the 4S PAH receptor/GNMT mediates benzo[a]pyrene induction of CYP1A1 gene expression. Lysates of GNMT‐transformed CHO cells and wild‐type H4IIE rat hepatoma cells exposed to benzo[a]pyrene were immuno‐precipitated with anti‐GNMT antibodies, separated by SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transferred to PVDF membrane for Western blot analysis with anti‐aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT, HIF‐1β) antibodies. Results of this analysis indicated that the 4S PAH receptor/GNMT forms a hetero‐oligomer (dimer?) with ARNT/HIF‐1β which dissociates in the presence of B[a]P. These observations further indicate the role of GNMT (which has been shown to be multifunctional) and B[a]P in the induction of CYP1A1 and also a potential role of GNMT in the modulation of hypoxia inducible factor‐1 function with respect to the HIF‐1β subunit (ARNT). J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 2015–2018, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Successive transformation of benzo[a]pyrene by laccase of Trametes versicolor and pyrene-degrading Mycobacterium strains

We previously hypothesized that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading bacteria that produce laccase may enhance the degree of benzo[a]pyrene mineralization. However, whether the metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene oxidized by laccase can be further transformed by PAH degraders remains unknown. In this study, pyrene-degrading mycobacteria with diverse degradation properties were isolated and employed for investigating the subsequent transformation on the metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene oxidized by fungal laccase of Trametes versicolor. The results confirm the successive transformation of benzo[a]pyrene metabolites, 6-benzo[a]pyrenyl acetate, and quinones by Mycobacterium strains, and report the discovery of the involvement of a O-methylation mediated pathway in the process. In detail, the vast majority of metabolite 6-benzo[a]pyrenyl acetate was transformed into benzo[a]pyrene quinones or methoxybenzo[a]pyrene, via two distinct steps that were controlled by the catechol-O-methyltransferase mediated O-methylation, while quinones were reduced to dihydroxybenzo[a]pyrene and further transformed into dimethoxy derivatives.     

Effect of rapeseed oil on the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil by Rhodococcus wratislaviensis

The effect of rapeseed oil (0, 0.1 and 1% w/w) on the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) by Rhodococcus wratislaviensis was studied in soils artificially contaminated with phenanthrene, anthracene, pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene (50 mg kg⁻¹ each), during 49 days at 30 °C. Without or with 0.1% of rapeseed oil, R. wratislaviensis degraded >90% of phenanthrene and anthracene in 14 days and mineralised approx. 23% of ¹⁴C-phenanthrene. The native microflora degraded pyrene (90% degradation; 75% mineralisation) and benzo(a)pyrene (30% degradation, no mineralisation). With 1% rapeseed oil, R. wratislaviensis degraded only 66% of the phenanthrene and mineralised 12.4%, and had no effect on other PAH, while degradation by the native microflora was inhibited. On the other hand, the addition of 1% oil promoted degradation of benzo(a)pyrene (75%) and anthracene (90%) and anthraquinone was produced at high concentrations and accumulated. Two distinct processes gave degradation of PAH, one biological and one abiotic. Biological processes mainly degraded phenanthrene and pyrene, either by R. wratislaviensis or by the indigenous microflora. Benzo(a)pyrene was degraded mainly by an abiotic process in the presence of 1% rapeseed oil. Anthracene was degraded by a combination of both processes.PAH are often found in contaminated soils and there is the need of developing techniques that can be applied in the remediation of these sites, where PAH, specially those with high molecular weight, pose health and environmental risks. There is a continuous search for efficient microorganisms able to degrade these pollutants and for methods to enhance their degradation and bioavailability, e.g. by the use of vegetable oils. This paper presents a novel process for the degradation of PAH by a combined biological/abiotic system.     

High urine 1-hydroxypyrene glucuronide concentrations in Linxian,China, an area of high risk for squamous oesophageal cancer

Most squamous cell carcinomas of the oesophagus in low-risk populations are attributable to alcohol and tobacco consumption, but the aetiologic agents in many high-risk populations have yet to be definitively identified. Linxian, China has some of the highest oesophageal cancer rates in the world. Recent studies suggest that an association exists between high-level exposure to carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), and the development of oesophageal cancer. The inhabitants of this high-risk region extensively use coal and wood for cooking and heating in unvented stoves, and thus may be exposed to PAHs produced during the incomplete combustion of these fuel sources. High levels of B[a]P were recently detected in staple food samples from Linxian and histopathologic changes that may be associated with PAH exposure have also been identified in oesophagectomy specimens from the region. In an effort to determine whether this high-risk population is exposed to high levels of PAHs, voided urines from non-smokers (n = 22) without occupational exposure were collected and analysed using immunoaffinity chromatography and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy for 1-hydroxypyrene glucuronide, a PAH metabolite and index biomarker for mixed PAH exposure. The median urine 1-hydroxypyrene glucuronide concentration (2.06 pmol ml^-1) was equivalent to concentrations detected in current smokers. To the authors' knowledge, this represents the first report of elevated urine 1-hydroxpyrene glucuronide concentrations in Linxian, and the first biologic confirmation that the inhabitants of this rural, non-industrial, high oesophageal cancer risk region are exposed to carcinogenic PAHs.     

Circulating antibodies directed against “polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-like” structures in the sera of cancer patients

Background: An increase in immunoglobulin (Ig) A isotype directed against benzo(a)pyrene (BP) structure has previously been described in sera of cancer patients. In this study, new polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) conjugates were synthesized in order to more closely mimic the endogenous ligands of the cytosolic aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). PAH [benzo(a)pyrene; 1,2-benzanthracene; dibenz[a,c]anthracene; 7,12-dimethylbenza[a]anthracene; benzo(ghi)perylene] were bound to protein carriers such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) via N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). Methods: The levels of circulating antibodies (Abs) directed against PAH–NAC conjugates in the sera of cancer patients were evaluated using an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) with these new conjugates. The avidity (IC₅₀) and specificity of these circulating Abs were assessed via competition experiments. Results: An increase in Ig directed against these PAH–NAC conjugates was found in the sera of cancer patients, irrespective of the state and stage of the tumors. These Ig were principally of the A isotype. Sera from cancer patients had significantly higher optical density (OD) ranges than the controls, p < 0.0001. The ELISA test for breast cancer (n = 155) and ovarian cancer (n = 62) identified 82% and 92% of positive patients, respectively. The percentage positive in the control group (n = 60) was around 5%. Moreover, competition experiments with the different PAH–NAC conjugates and NAC–BSA revealed an estimated avidity of 10^?6 M for the circulating IgA antibodies. Conclusions: The Abs discriminated between the different PAH–NAC conjugates and NAC–BSA. Therefore, these Abs recognize a carcinogenic PAH–NAC structure and not only a BP structure. These markers may be useful in the future for monitoring cancer evolution and recurrence.     

Degradation of high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Pseudomonas cepacia

Summary When inoculated at high cell densities, three strains of Pseudomonas cepacia degraded the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) benzo[a]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene and coronene as sole carbon and energy sources. After 63 days incubation, there was a 20 to 30% decrease in the concentration of benzo[a]pyrene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene and a 65 to 70% decrease in coronene concentration. The three strains were also able to degrade all the PAHs simultaneously in a PAH substrate mixture containing three-, four-, five- and seven-benzene ring compounds. Furthermore, improved degradation of the five- and seven-ring PAHs was observed when low molecular weight PAHs were present.     

糙皮侧耳和鞘脂菌NS7对多环芳烃污染土壤的生物强化与协同作用

【背景】真菌和细菌被认为在多环芳烃污染土壤生物修复过程中发挥协同作用,目前在真实土壤体系中开展真菌-细菌协同降解研究较少。【目的】研究真菌和细菌对不同种类多环芳烃降解的差异及对蒽和苯并[a]蒽的生物强化与协同作用。【方法】选用多环芳烃降解真菌和细菌各一株,在液体纯培养体系下分析它们对不同种类多环芳烃降解的差异,在土壤体系中采用放射性同位素示踪技术研究2种微生物对蒽和苯并[a]蒽的生物强化与协同作用。【结果】供试细菌鞘脂菌NS7能够很好地降解低环种类多环芳烃,以蒽作为唯一碳源时可以将其完全降解,在复合污染条件下对菲、蒽、荧蒽、芘等降解效果突出(>90%),对苯并[a]芘降解效果较差(9.76%)。相比而言,供试真菌糙皮侧耳菌对苯并[a]芘具有更好的降解效果(21.18%),对低环多环芳烃降解效果明显不如降解菌NS7。在自然土壤中,蒽和苯并[a]蒽具有明显不同的矿化效率,分别为18.61%和4.28%,在蒽污染土壤中加入鞘脂菌NS7并未显著提高蒽的矿化率(P>0.05),相比而言,苯并[a]蒽污染土壤中加入糙皮侧耳显著提高了污染物矿化效率(2.24倍),表明真菌和细菌在土壤环境...     

Potential Health Risk of Reused Creosote-Treated Old Railway Ties at Recreational Sites in Korea

Old creosote-treated railway ties reused at recreational sites in Korea are potential hazards, due to the presence of harmful substances in creosote, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In such sites, PAHs in ties can be leached or emitted, and human exposure might then occur. In this study, the concentrations of 16 PAHs in soil, air, and tie surfaces in old creosote-treated railway ties reused in recreational sites were investigated, and the potential health risk of the ties was evaluated through two exposure scenarios: a recreational scenario (ingestion of and dermal contact with soil and inhalation of soil particles) and a playground scenario (ingestion after contact and dermal contact with ties). For the recreational scenario, the health risks of PAHs were safe; however, for the playground scenario, the carcinogenic risk of ingestion after contact, and dermal contact with benz(a)anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene on the tie surfaces, exceeded the acceptable risk level (10^–6). For the carcinogenic risks of ingestion after contact with ties, the probabilities of cancer development were 8 and 5 in one million people for benz(a)anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene, respectively. The carcinogenic risks for dermal contact with ties were 2.4 × 10^–6 and 1.4 × 10^–6 for benz(a)anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene, respectively.     

Influence of sodium selenite and selenomethionine on DNA/RNA synthesis and BaP binding to spleen lymphocytes in culture

In the present study, an attempt was made to provide some information regarding the effects of organic and inorganic selenium compounds on DNA/RNA synthesis and benzo(a)pyrene uptake in cultured lymphocytes from mice spleen. It was clear from the results that there was a significant inhibition of DNA/RNA synthesis with increasing concentration of either form of selenium from 0.1ΜM to 1 mM in culture medium. However, when used at the same level as selenite with respect to selenium content, selenomethionine exerted more DNA/RNA synthesis inhibitory effect than selenite. Benzo(a)pyrene uptake by proliferating lymphocytes was also significantly reduced with increasing selenium concentration (0.1 ΜM to 1 mM). However, both forms of selenium at the same selenium concentration showed almost the same inhibitory effect on the cellular uptake of benzo(a)pyrene, which indicated that some factor(s) other than the DNA synthesis are also involved in the interaction between benzo(a)pyrene and cells. Involvement of the changes in the carcinogen metabolism and glutathione level has been discussed. Present studies show that organic selenium as a source of selenium is a more potent chemopreventive compared to the inorganic one. This information may have a useful therapeutic potential.     

Bench-Scale Phytoremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Marine Sediment with Tropical Plants

Elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were found in dredged marine sediment from Pearl Harbor. The degradation of PAHs was investigated with soil-sediment systems (washed and unwashed) and 20 plant species. Marine sediment was diluted with native soil in the first experiment. Sediment was washed with gypsum solution and water in the second and third experiments, respectively, prior to soil dilution. Soil dilution ratios were 0, 6, 16, and 37% by weight in the first experiment, 0, 37, 64, and 100% in the second and 0, 18, 64, and 100% in the third. Seven tree, nine shrub, and four grass species were grown for 12 weeks in a glasshouse. A “no plant” control was used in all the experiments. Several plant species yielded up to 90% PAH degradation in the first experiment when compared with no plant control. In the second planting, dwarf hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) and vetiver (Vetiver zizanoides) appeared to cause the greatest PAH reduction, while paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) and naupaka (Scaevola sericea) did not. The greatest difference between control and planted soil for both benzo[a]pyrene and total PAH occurred at the highest sediment ratios.     

Metabolite repression inhibits degradation of benzo[a]pyrene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia VUN 10,003

Large inocula of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia VUN 10,003 were used to investigate bacterial degradation of benzo[a]pyrene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene. Although strain VUN 10,003 was capable of degrading 10–15 mg l⁻¹ of the five-ring compounds in the presence of pyrene after 63 days, further addition of pyrene after degradation of the five-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) ceased did not stimulate significant decreases in the concentration of benzo[a]pyrene or dibenz[a,h]anthracene. However, pyrene was degraded to undetectable levels 21 days after its addition. The amount of benzo[a]pyrene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene degraded by strain VUN 10,003 was not affected by the initial concentration of the compounds when tested at 25–100 mg l⁻¹, by the accumulation of by-products from pyrene catabolism or a loss of ability by the cells to catabolise benzo[a]pyrene or dibenz[a,h]anthracene. Metabolite or by-product repression was suspected to be responsible for the inhibition: By-products from the degradation of the five-ring compounds inhibited their further degradation. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2002) 28, 88–96 DOI: 10.1038/sj/jim/7000216 Received 30 January 2001/ Accepted in revised form 10 October 2001     

A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for adducts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with human serum albumin

Adducts of benzo[a]pyrene-diolepoxide (BPDE) with blood nucleophiles have been used as biomarkers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The most popular such assay is a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that employs monoclonal antibody 8E11 to detect benzo[a]pyrene tetrols following hydrolysis of BPDE adducts from lymphocyte DNA or human serum albumin (HSA). Here we used 8E11 as the capture antibody in a sandwich ELISA to detect BPDE-HSA adducts directly in 1-mg samples of HSA or 20 μl of serum/plasma. The assay employs an anti-HSA antibody for detection, and this is amplified by an avidin/biotinylated horseradish peroxidase complex. The sandwich ELISA has advantages of specificity and simplicity and is approximately 10 times more sensitive than the competitive ELISA. To validate the assay, HSA samples were assayed from three populations with known high PAH exposures (coke oven workers), medium PAH exposures (steel factory control workers), and low PAH exposures (volunteer subjects) (n = 30). The respective geometric mean levels of BPDE-HSA adducts—67.8, 14.7, and 1.93 ng/mg HSA (1010, 220, and 28.9 fmol BPDE equiv/mg HSA)—were significantly different (P < 0.05). The sandwich ELISA will be useful for screening PAH exposures in large epidemiologic studies and can be extended to other adducts for which capture antibodies are available.     

Different susceptibility to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)-induced DNA damage in lung tissue in male and female non-smokers

The levels of benzo(a)pyrene diol-epoxide (BPDE)-DNA adducts and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were analysed in a limited number of samples of autoptic lung tissue obtained from non-professionally exposed male (n= 13) and female (n= 12) non-smokers in an attempt to evaluate the relationship between gender, lung PAH levels (n= 25) and susceptibility to BPDE-DNA adduct formation (n= 18). Lung concentrations of chrysene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene and benzo(a)pyrene were significantly higher in males than in females (P     

Benzo(a)pyrene diolepoxide-haemoglobin and albumin adducts at low levels of benzo(a)pyrene exposure

A biomonitoring study was conducted to simultaneously measure individual benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) exposure in 50 office employees, not occupationally exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), using personal samplers and the formation of (+) r-7, t-8-dihyroxy-t-9,t-10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene (BPDE) adducts to haemoglobin (BPDE–Hb) and serum albumin (BPDE–SA). The population enrolled was exposed to an average of 0.58 ± 0.46 ng BaP m^?3 (mean ± SD). The concentration of BaP collected from smokers' samples was double that from non-smokers (P = 0.007). BPDE adducts to Hb and SA were quantified as BaP tetrols released from hydrolysis of macromolecules and measured by high-resolution gas chromatography–negative ion chemical ionization–mass spectrometry. BPDE–Hb adducts were detected in 16% of the population and BPDE–SA adducts in 28%. Smoking did not affect adduct formation. When BaP personal monitoring data were used as the criterion of exposure, no correlation was found with the presence and the levels of BPDE–Hb and BPDE–SA adducts. Undetected sources of PAH, such as the diet, might markedly alter the exposure profile depicted by individual air sampling and affect the frequency and levels of protein biomarkers. This is the first comparative analysis of BPDE–Hb and BPDE–SA adducts, providing reference values for these biomarkers in a general urban population. However it is difficult to establish which biomarkers would be the more relevant in assessing low BaP exposure, due to undetectable factors such as dietary PAHs, that might have influenced the results to some degree.