Associations Of Urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites And Plasma BPDE-albumin Adducts With Micronucleus Frequencies In Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes And The Application Of Micronucleus Frequencies In Monitoring The Early Health Status Among C

Objectives: This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the associations of ten urinarymonohydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) and plasmabenzo[a]pyrene-diol-epoxide (BPDE)-albumin adduct levels with micronucleus (MN)frequencies in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of coke oven workers, and to explorethe possibility of using a proper cutoff value of MN frequency for monitoring the earlyhealth status of coke oven workers.Methods: We recruited1315male coke oven workers and determined the ambient PAHsconcentrations in representative workplaces where the workers performed their duties. Wemeasured the concentrations of ten urinary OH-PAHs, urinary8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine(8-OHdG), and plasma BPDE-albumin adducts among the workers using gaschromatography-mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography, and sandwichenzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay, respectively. We also measured MN frequencies inPBLs of the workers using cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay.Results: We found that increased MN frequencies were significantly associated withincreased quartiles of urinary1-hydroxynaphthalene,2-hydroxynaphthalene,2-hydroxyfluorene,9-hydroxyfluorene,1-hydroxyphenanthrene,2-hydroxyphenanthrene,3-hydroxyphenanthrene,9-hydroxyphenanthrene,1-hydroxypyrene, and plasma BPDE-albumin adducts (ptrend<0.001, ptrend=0.002, ptrend<0.001, ptrend<0.001, ptrend=0.016, ptrend<0.001, ptrend=0.003, ptrend<0.001, ptrend<0.001, ptrend<0.001, respectively),with adjustment for age, working years, smoking status, and alcohol use. After adjusting forpotential interrelations among PAH metabolites, the associations of urinary1-hydroxypyreneand9-hydroxyfluorene levels and of plasma BPDE-albumin adducts levels with MNfrequencies were still significant (after bonferroni correction, p <0.0056). Compared withworkers with MN frequencies≤2‰, workers with MN frequencies≥5‰began to exhibitsignificantly higher levels of urinary summed OH-PAHs,1-hydroxypyrene,9-hydroxyfluorene,9-hydroxyphenanthrene,8-OHdG, and plasma BPDE-albumin adducts.After controlling for potential confounders (age, working years, smoking status, drinkingstatus, and BMI), there were significant increasing trends of urinary summed OH-PAHs,1-hydroxypyrene,9-hydroxyfluorene,9-hydroxyphenanthrene,8-OHdG, and plasmaBPDE-albumin adducts levels from low MN frequencies group (≤2‰) to high MNfrequencies group (≥5‰)(ptrend<=0.017, ptrend=0.005, ptrend=0.002, ptrend=0.015, ptrend=0.015, ptrend<0.001, respectively).Conclusions: Ten urinary OH-PAHs (except4-hydroxyphenanthrene) and plasmaBPDE-albumin adducts levels were all significantly associated with MN frequencies inPBLs of coke oven workers. The associations between urinary1-hydroxypyrene,9-hydroxyfluorene, and plasma BPDE-albumin adducts and increment of MN frequencycaused by PAHs exposure were significant. MN frequencies≥5‰can be used for earlyhealth monitoring in coke oven workers.