Tracing biomarker of PAH-exposure and susceptibility factor (GSTM-polymorphism) among cancer patients in Pakistan

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 178; pp. 384 - 390
• Main Authors: Abdur Rehman, Muhammad Yasir, Kamal, Atif, Taqi, Malik Mumtaz, Malik, Riffat Naseem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2017
• Subjects: 1-OHP; absorbed dose; Adolescent; Adult; Biomarker; biomarkers; Biomarkers - urine; Cancer; Case-Control Studies; diet; digestive tract; Disease Susceptibility; etiology; Female; Genotype; Glutathione Transferase - blood; Glutathione Transferase - genetics; GSTM; head; Humans; lungs; Male; Middle Aged; neck; neoplasms; Neoplasms - chemically induced; Neoplasms - enzymology; Neoplasms - genetics; PAH-tracer; Pakistan; patients; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - adverse effects; Polymorphism, Genetic - genetics; Pyrenes - urine; Young Adult; Pakistan; CYP-450; Biomarker; 1-OHP; Pakistan; GSTM; PAH-tracer; GSTM-1; PAHs; HPLC; PCR; Cancer; PCA
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.03.017

We studied cancer patients for possible PAH exposure, using urinary concentration of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) as a biomarker of internal dose of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The subjects included in this study belonged to various socio-demographic backgrounds, and were diagnosed with cancer (i.e. lung, head and neck or digestive tract cancer). In general, we observed high concentration of urinary 1-OHP among digestive tract cancer patients, compared with the controls (CN) (mean 1.06, median 1.03 and mean 0.62, median 0.63 μmol/mol-Cr in digestive tract cancer patients and controls respectively). The concentrations of urinary 1-OHP were higher than the background level of PAHs; therefore, these groups could have been exposed to PAHs. Highest urinary 1-OHP concentration was observed in digestive tract cancer patients (median 1.25 μmol/mol-Cr) with GSTM-1 genotype. The results of PCA were consistent with qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The contribution of urinary 1-OHP eigenvector revealed a relatively high PAH-exposure among cancer patients compared with CN, while diet and age were influential parameters among cancer patients, which could have a strong link in cancer etiology in the selected exposure groups. [Display omitted] •Urinary 1-OHP and genetic susceptibility factor in cancer patients.•A probe into the association between GSTM-polymorphism and urinary 1-OHP concentrations.•High levels of urinary 1-OHP were observed in certain cancer patients.