Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

Title abbreviation: Adv Clin Exp Med
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Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

2017, vol. 26, nr 6, September, p. 939–945

doi: 10.17219/acem/64682

Publication type: original article

Language: English

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Oxidative damage of DNA in subjects occupationally exposed to lead

Natalia Pawlas1,2,A,B,C,D,F, Elżbieta Olewińska1,A,B,C,D, Iwona Markiewicz-Górka3,B,C,D, Agnieszka Kozłowska1,B,C, Lidia Januszewska3,B, Thomas Lundh4,B, Ewa Januszewska5,D, Krystyna Pawlas1,3,B,E,F

1 Institute of Occupational Medicine and Enviromental Health, Sosnowiec, Poland

2 Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Silesia, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry, Zabrze, Poland

3 Department of Hygiene, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland

4 Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden

5 Cantonal Hospital Bruderholz, University of Basle, Switzerland

Abstract

Background. Exposure to lead (Pb) in environmental and occupational settings continues to be a serious public health problem and may pose an elevated risk of genetic damage.
Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the level of oxidative stress and DNA damage in subjects occupationally exposed to lead.
Material and Methods. We studied a population of 78 male workers exposed to lead in a lead and zinc smelter and battery recycling plant and 38 men from a control group. Blood lead levels were detected by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry and plasma lead levels by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The following assays were performed to assess the DNA damage and oxidative stress: comet assay, determination of 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant status (TAS).
Results. The mean concentration of lead in the blood of the exposed group was 392 ± 103 μg/L and was significantly higher than in the control group (30.3 ± 29.4 μg/L, p < 0.0001). Oxidative DNA damages measured by comet assay showed no significant differences between populations. The concentration of 8-OHdG was about twice as high as in the control group. We found a significant positive correlation between the level of biomarkers of lead exposure [lead in blood, lead in plasma, zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP)] and urine concentration of 8-OHdG. The level of oxidative damage of DNA was positively correlated with the level of lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and negatively with total anti-oxidative status (TAS).
Conclusion. Our study suggests that occupational exposure causes an increase in oxidative damage to DNA, even in subjects with relatively short length of service (average length of about 10 years). 8-OHdG concentration in the urine proved to be a sensitive and non-invasive marker of lead induced genotoxic damage.

Key words

oxidative stress, lead exposure, DNA damage, comet assay, 8-hydroxy-2´-deoxyguanosine

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