Meike Ruenz1, Katharina Goerke1, Tamara Bakuradze1, Klaus Abraham2, Alfonso Lampen2, Gerhard Eisenbrand1, Elke Richling1. 1. Department of Chemistry, Division of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schroedinger-Str. 52, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany. 2. Department of Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract
SCOPE: This study investigates a potential correlation between the intake of heat-processed food and the excretion of the acrolein (AC) biomarkers N-acetyl-S-(3-hydroxypropyl)-l-cysteine (HPMA) and N-acetyl-S-(carboxyethyl)-l-cysteine (CEMA) based on two human studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: Human exposure to AC is monitored using the AC-related mercapturic acids HPMA and CEMA in the urine of a) non-smoking volunteers under defined living conditions and b) of non-smoking volunteers on unrestricted or vegan diet under free living conditions. Free living volunteers in part show markedly enhanced urinary excretions of HPMA and CEMA. The intake of heat-processed food does not influence AC-related biomarker excretion. Incidentally enhanced urinary exposure biomarker levels appear to suggest AC exposure possibly from open fire, barbecuing, or tobacco smoke. However, kinetics of urinary biomarkers related to tobacco and other potential smoke exposure, do not correlate with those observed for HPMA and CEMA. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to convincingly show a sustained and substantial background exposure to AC in non-smoking humans, clearly independent from uptake of heat-processed foods. The data strongly point to endogenous AC generation by pathways of mammalian and/or microbial metabolism as yet not taken into consideration.
SCOPE: This study investigates a potential correlation between the intake of heat-processed food and the excretion of the acrolein (AC) biomarkers N-acetyl-S-(3-hydroxypropyl)-l-cysteine (HPMA) and N-acetyl-S-(carboxyethyl)-l-cysteine (CEMA) based on two human studies. METHODS AND RESULTS:Human exposure to AC is monitored using the AC-related mercapturic acidsHPMA and CEMA in the urine of a) non-smoking volunteers under defined living conditions and b) of non-smoking volunteers on unrestricted or vegan diet under free living conditions. Free living volunteers in part show markedly enhanced urinary excretions of HPMA and CEMA. The intake of heat-processed food does not influence AC-related biomarker excretion. Incidentally enhanced urinary exposure biomarker levels appear to suggest AC exposure possibly from open fire, barbecuing, or tobacco smoke. However, kinetics of urinary biomarkers related to tobacco and other potential smoke exposure, do not correlate with those observed for HPMA and CEMA. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to convincingly show a sustained and substantial background exposure to AC in non-smoking humans, clearly independent from uptake of heat-processed foods. The data strongly point to endogenous AC generation by pathways of mammalian and/or microbial metabolism as yet not taken into consideration.
Authors: Andrea Hartwig; Michael Arand; Bernd Epe; Sabine Guth; Gunnar Jahnke; Alfonso Lampen; Hans-Jörg Martus; Bernhard Monien; Ivonne M C M Rietjens; Simone Schmitz-Spanke; Gerlinde Schriever-Schwemmer; Pablo Steinberg; Gerhard Eisenbrand Journal: Arch Toxicol Date: 2020-06-15 Impact factor: 5.153