Urinary 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine and biopyrrins levels among construction workers with asbestos exposure history

Our plain-English summary of Urinary 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine and biopyrrins levels among construction workers with asbestos exposure history, by R. Yoshida, Y. Ogawa, I. Shioji, et al (Industrial Health, 2001).

The study

• Authors: R. Yoshida, Y. Ogawa, I. Shioji, X. Yu, E. Shibata, I. Mori, H. Kubota, A. Kishida, N. Hisanaga
• Journal: Industrial Health
• Published: 2001;39(2):186-8
• Cited by: 23 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

It has been suggested that oxidative stress is associated with the cancers caused by asbestos. Since construction workers are sometimes exposed to low levels of asbestos, we investigated whether oxidative stress was elevated in construction workers who had been exposed to low levels of asbestos. The subjects were 48 Japanese construction workers. The defined asbestos-exposed group consisted of subjects who had the history of suspected exposure to asbestos and were diagnosed to have irregular opacities or pleural plaques. We measured the amount of 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and biopyyrins in the urine of the subjects. The results showed that 8-oxodG and biopyyrins levels in the defined asbestos-exposed group were higher, although they were not statistically significant, than those in the control group. In addition, the urinary 8-oxodG levels tended to correlate positively with the duration of suspected exposure to asbestos. These results suggest that even low-level asbestos exposure may induce oxidative stress and that the resulting's the oxidative stress might be related to lung cancer in construction workers.

In plain English

This short communication from Japan measured two urine markers of oxidative stress in 48 male Japanese construction workers aged 43 to 72. One marker, 8-oxodG, reflects oxidative DNA damage; the other, biopyrrins, was used to estimate body-wide oxidative stress. Seven workers had a history of suspected asbestos exposure and irregular opacities or pleural plaques on chest x-ray. They formed the exposed group, and the other 41 were controls. Exposure duration was estimated from interviews, and fiber types were not named. Urinary 8-oxodG averaged 8.0 micrograms per gram creatinine in the exposed group versus 6.4 in controls, a difference that was not statistically significant (p = 0.057). Biopyrrins averaged 2.3 versus 1.9 micromoles per gram creatinine, also not significant (p = 0.35). In the exposed group, 8-oxodG tended to rise with longer suspected exposure (r = 0.7, p = 0.1). Lung cancer was not measured. The authors concluded that even low-level asbestos exposure may increase oxidative stress, possibly linked to lung cancer. They noted the small sample size and called for further studies.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: short communication; cross-sectional comparison of urinary oxidative stress markers between a defined asbestos-exposed group and a control group of construction workers
• Who was studied: 48 male Japanese construction workers aged 43 to 72 (mean 59.5). The defined asbestos-exposed group (Group A) had 7 workers (mean age 60.1), and the control group (Group C) had 41 workers (mean age 59.4). No study dates or specific locations were given.
• Exposure: Suspected occupational asbestos exposure in construction work, judged from interviews about occupational history, with duration of suspected exposure estimated from those interviews. Group A had suspected exposure plus irregular opacities or pleural plaques on chest x-ray. No fiber types or measured doses were reported, and the authors assumed exposure levels were lower than those of asbestos plant workers.
• Main results:
  • Urinary 8-oxodG was 8.0 ± 0.9 µg/g creatinine in the defined asbestos-exposed group (Group A) and 6.4 ± 2.1 µg/g creatinine in the control group (Group C). The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.057).
  • In Group A, urinary 8-oxodG levels tended to correlate positively with the duration of suspected asbestos exposure (r=0.7, p=0.1).
  • In the control group (Group C), there was no correlation between age and urinary 8-oxodG levels (p=0.71).
  • Urinary biopyrrins were 2.3 ± 1.5 µmol/g creatinine in Group A and 1.9 ± 1.1 µmol/g creatinine in Group C. The difference was not statistically significant (p=0.35).
  • There was no significant difference between Groups A and C in age, alcohol frequency, number of smokers, or cigarettes smoked per day. All Group A workers smoked (26.7 cigarettes/day), as did 87.7% of Group C (23.3 cigarettes/day).
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that their results suggest even low-level asbestos exposure increases oxidative stress, and that this increased oxidative stress may be associated with lung cancer in construction workers. They suggested urinary 8-oxodG might be a supplemental way to assess cancer risk alongside chest x-rays, pending further study.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The sample size was limited, and further studies are needed to determine the validity of the authors' recommendation.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure, Oxidative Stress, Pleural Plaques, Lung Cancer.

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