BACKGROUND: Millions of workers are exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and it is known that the kidney is a target for toxic chemicals. We have evaluated neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as a potential marker of tubular damage and have used it, with sister chromatid exchange (SCE) analysis, to evaluate carcinogenic risk in a group of workers from an oil refinery. METHODS: NGAL and SCE analysis were evaluated in 160 subjects. Exposed subjects were divided into three groups, according to levels of exposure to PAHs: 40 highly exposed workmen (WM), 40 less exposed office workers (OW), and 40 subjects (GE) living in Gela. The control group included 40 healthy subjects (HS). RESULTS: WM, OW and GE showed higher NGAL levels than HS. WM had higher levels of NGAL than the OW and GE groups; in ROC analysis, serum NGAL showed a good diagnostic profile (sensitivity 87.5%; specificity 100.0%), as did urinary NGAL (sensitivity 90.0%; specificity 92.5%). Moreover, regarding SCE analysis, WM showed higher values than HS. A direct correlation between SCE and serum NGAL was found in WM, the group most exposed to PAHs. CONCLUSION: The high values of NGAL are an expression of damage to the renal tubule determined by exposure to PAHs. Compared to the other groups studied, chromosomal aberrations - expressed as SCE - were increased in WM, the group most exposed to PAHs, indicating genotoxic damage. NGAL may also play a role in the process of carcinogenesis having a direct correlation with the number of SCEs.
BACKGROUND: Millions of workers are exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and it is known that the kidney is a target for toxic chemicals. We have evaluated neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as a potential marker of tubular damage and have used it, with sister chromatid exchange (SCE) analysis, to evaluate carcinogenic risk in a group of workers from an oil refinery. METHODS:NGAL and SCE analysis were evaluated in 160 subjects. Exposed subjects were divided into three groups, according to levels of exposure to PAHs: 40 highly exposed workmen (WM), 40 less exposed office workers (OW), and 40 subjects (GE) living in Gela. The control group included 40 healthy subjects (HS). RESULTS: WM, OW and GE showed higher NGAL levels than HS. WM had higher levels of NGAL than the OW and GE groups; in ROC analysis, serum NGAL showed a good diagnostic profile (sensitivity 87.5%; specificity 100.0%), as did urinary NGAL (sensitivity 90.0%; specificity 92.5%). Moreover, regarding SCE analysis, WM showed higher values than HS. A direct correlation between SCE and serum NGAL was found in WM, the group most exposed to PAHs. CONCLUSION: The high values of NGAL are an expression of damage to the renal tubule determined by exposure to PAHs. Compared to the other groups studied, chromosomal aberrations - expressed as SCE - were increased in WM, the group most exposed to PAHs, indicating genotoxic damage. NGAL may also play a role in the process of carcinogenesis having a direct correlation with the number of SCEs.
Authors: Rebecca L Laws; Daniel R Brooks; Juan José Amador; Daniel E Weiner; James S Kaufman; Oriana Ramírez-Rubio; Alejandro Riefkohl; Madeleine K Scammell; Damaris López-Pilarte; José Marcel Sánchez; Chirag R Parikh; Michael D McClean Journal: Am J Kidney Dis Date: 2015-10-09 Impact factor: 8.860
Authors: Javier Tascón; Marta Prieto; Alfredo G Casanova; Francisco J Sanz; Miguel A Hernández Mezquita; Miguel Barrueco Ferrero; Manuel A Gomez-Marcos; Luis Garcia-Ortiz; Laura Vicente-Vicente; Ana I Morales Journal: J Pers Med Date: 2022-06-24