Analytical approaches for the determination of PCB metabolites in blood: a review

A green deep eutectic solvent based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the quantitative analysis of 21 polychlorinated biphenyl metabolites in food of animal origin using injector port silylation-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical method was developed for the quantitative determination of 21 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) metabolites (17 were -OH, 1 -MeO, and 3 were MeSO2) in foods of animal origin using deep eutectic solvent (DES) based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by injector port silylation-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The type of DES (thymol: camphor, 1:1 molar ratio) and optimum volume of DES (300 µL), pH (7.0), and disperser solvent (acetonitrile) were optimized to attain the maximum extraction efficiency. The limit of detection, limit of quantification, and percent recovery were found to be in the range of 0.12-0.23 ng/mL, 0.40-0.76 ng/mL, and 80.1-111.4%, respectively. The expanded uncertainty was observed to be in the range of 7.2-22.8% for the targeted analytes. The proposed method was applied to real food samples (milk, meat, fish, and egg) and the levels were found to be in the range of 0.64-32.14 ng/g. This is first of its kind method using green solvent based method for the analysis of PCB metabolites (-OH, MeO, and MeSO2) and will find extensive application in routine testing for foods of animal origin.

Simultaneous determination of 35 organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in the serum of the general population in Wuhan by solid phase extraction-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

有机氯农药(OCPs)和多氯联苯(PCBs)是两类重要的持久性有机污染物,可在环境介质中长期存在,并通过多种途径进入人体,导致人体的高暴露风险。OCPs和PCBs对人体存在诸多健康危害,精准定量人体内OCPs和PCBs的暴露水平是健康效应评价的关键。该研究基于固相萃取-气相色谱-串联质谱联用技术(SPE-GC-MS/MS)建立了同时检测100 μL血清中35种OCPs和PCBs的分析方法。血清样品经尿素沉淀蛋白后,采用Oasis^® HLB小柱净化,正己烷-二氯甲烷混合溶液(1∶1, v/v)洗脱,氮吹近干,正己烷定容,多反应监测(MRM)模式检测,内标法定量分析。结果表明,OCPs和PCBs在0.05~50.0 ng/mL范围内线性关系良好,检出限在1.2~71.4 ng/L之间。35种目标分析物的加标回收率在72.6%~142%之间,相对标准偏差小于25%。利用所建立的方法检测了武汉市普通人群血清样本中OCPs和PCBs的浓度水平,结果表明武汉市普通人群广泛暴露于OCPs和PCBs,且以OCPs为主。有8种OCPs和7种PCBs检出率高于50%,其中p,p'-滴滴伊、p,p'-滴滴滴和甲氧滴滴涕检出率达100%,非类二噁英PCBs是PCBs的主要成分。血清中OCPs浓度随年龄增长呈升高趋势,在60岁以上存在性别差异;不同性别、年龄人群血清中PCBs浓度无统计学差异。该方法样本用量少,操作简便,具有较高的准确度和精密度,适用于环境健康研究中大量人群血清样本中痕量OCPs和PCBs的生物监测。

Congener-specific determination of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls by polar-embedded reversed-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

This paper reports the development of an LC-ESI-MS² method for the sensitive determination of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) in human serum samples. Congener-specific separation was achieved by using a polar-embedded stationary phase, previously optimized for the working group, which provided better separation of isobaric compounds than the common octadecylsilane phases. MS fragmentation patterns and energies showed differences among OH-PCB congeners, mainly depending on the position of OH-group and the number of chlorine atoms in the molecule, although the most intense transitions were always those corresponding to the neutral loss of an HCl group from the quasi-molecular ion cluster. The method allowed the determination of OH-PCBs with good linearity (dynamic linear range of four orders of magnitude with R² higher than 0.995) and precision (relative standard deviations of absolute areas lower than 10%), and with better sensitivity than other similar methods previously described in the literature. Matrix effect has been evaluated and reduced to less than 10% by the addition of isotopically labeled standards and a 10-fold dilution of the final sample extract. The low iLODs provided by the developed method (from 1.2 to 5.4 fg µL^-1 for all the OH-PCBs studied, except 4'-OHCB108, whose iLOD was 61 fg µL^-1) allows dilution without losses of detected peaks. Finally, the applicability of the method has been demonstrated by analyzing human serum samples belonging to an interlaboratory exercise.

Simultaneous detection of multiple hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls from biological samples using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry

We established a method for the separation and detection of nine hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls in whole blood and urine samples using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray negative ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Clean-up procedures involved a filtration step, and optimization involved a pretreatment step consisting of a simple liquid-liquid extraction using hydrated silica-gel chromatography (5%). Nine hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls were separated on an ultra high performance liquid chromatography HSS T3 column using a gradient elution program of 2 mmol ammonium formate aqueous solution (A) and methanol (B). Recovery ranged from 84.0 to 105.4% for the nine different hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls in urine with three spiked levels of 0.1, 1, and 2 ng and from 73.5 to 98.6% for the blood with spiked levels of 0.2, 1, and 2 ng. The relative standard deviations were <8.7% (n = 6), and the limits of detection in urine and whole blood for the nine hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls were in the range of 1.5-4 and 20-100 pg/g, respectively. This analytical method may enable the simultaneous detection of various hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls from complex tissue matrices.

Marine environment pollution: The contribution of mass spectrometry to the study of seawater

The study of marine pollution has been traditionally addressed to persistent chemicals, generally known as priority pollutants; a current trend in environmental analysis is a shift toward "emerging pollutants," defined as newly identified or previously unrecognized contaminants. The present review is focused on the peculiar contribution of mass spectrometry (MS) to the study of pollutants in the seawater compartment. The work is organized in five paragraphs where the most relevant groups of pollutants, both "classical" and "emerging," are presented and discussed, highlighting the relative data obtained by the means of different MS techniques. The hyphenation of MS and separative techniques, together with the development of different ion sources, makes MS and tandem MS the analytical tool of choice for the determination of trace organic contaminants in seawater. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 37:492-512, 2018.

Discovery and targeted monitoring of polychlorinated biphenyl metabolites in blood plasma using LC-TIMS-TOF MS

In the present work, the potential for rapid, targeted analysis of hydroxylated metabolites of polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) in diluted human blood plasma using liquid chromatography coupled with trapped ion mobility spectrometry and TOF high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-TIMS-TOF MS) was evaluated. Experimental OH-PCB collisional cross section (CCS_N2) and gas-phase candidate structures (<3% error) are reported for the first time and used, in addition to the LC retention time and accurate m/z, as OH-PCB identification features in order to increase the detection selectivity. The proposed LC-TIMS-TOF MS workflow combines a "dilute-and-shoot" sample preparation strategy, a robust liquid chromatography step, a high-resolving power mobility separation (R ~ 150-250) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (R ~ 30-40k) for the separation, identification and quantification of common OH-PCB isomers with limits of detection comparable to traditional workflows (e.g., LOD and LOQ of ~10 pg/mL and ~50 pg/mL, respectively). The higher selectivity and low detection limits provides multiple advantages compared to current methodologies that typically require long, labor-intensive preparation and/or derivatization steps prior to gas or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Determination of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) in human urine in a highly occupationally exposed German cohort: New prospects for urinary biomarkers of PCB exposure

The present study evaluates for the first time the determination of 20 hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyl (OH-PCB) congeners and their glucuronide and sulfate conjugates in urine as a biomarker of exposure to PCBs in humans. Thereby, a fast, sensitive and selective online solid phase extraction (SPE) method coupled to LC-MS/MS was validated for the determination of OH-PCBs in human urine, being previously successfully developed and applied for the separation and quantitation of OH-PCBs in human plasma. The lowest limit of quantification (LLOQ) ranged from 0.01 to 0.19ngmL^-1 and average extraction recoveries from 79 to 125% for all hydroxylated congeners. Within-run precision and between-run precision were between 2 and 17%. Extraction recovery tests were also performed in urine with different creatinine contents (0.52-3.92gL^-1) for an estimation of matrix influences and ranged between 69 and 125%. In order to evaluate the applicability of the method, the study was conducted in three different groups, which were distinctly separated as non-exposed to known sources of PCBs (N=21), low-to-moderate PCB-exposed individuals (N=25) and highly occupationally PCB-exposed individuals (N=25), which included workers of a transformer recycling plant, their relatives and workers of surrounding companies from a German cohort. As part of the biomonitoring program HELPcB (Health Effects in High-Level Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls), urine and blood samples were collected annually from 2010 to 2014. In this way, OH-PCB elimination profile in urine over time, correlations between OH-PCB levels in human plasma and urine, and associations with their parent compounds in plasma of the studied PCB cohort could be also assessed. Tri-chlorinated OH-PCBs were the predominant congeners in urine with concentrations up to 174ngmL^-1. High chlorinated OH-PCBs (penta- through hepta-chlorinated OH-PCBs) were also frequently detected in urine samples from non-exposed and occupationally exposed individuals, although levels were in general very low or lower than LLOQ.

Sulfation of Lower Chlorinated Polychlorinated Biphenyls Increases Their Affinity for the Major Drug-Binding Sites of Human Serum Albumin

The disposition of toxicants is often affected by their binding to serum proteins, of which the most abundant in humans is serum albumin (HSA). There is increasing interest in the toxicities of environmentally persistent polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with lower numbers of chlorine atoms (LC-PCBs) due to their presence in both indoor and outdoor air. PCB sulfates derived from metabolic hydroxylation and sulfation of LC-PCBs have been implicated in endocrine disruption due to high affinity-binding to the thyroxine-carrying protein, transthyretin. Interactions of these sulfated metabolites of LC-PCBs with HSA, however, have not been previously explored. We have now determined the relative HSA-binding affinities for a group of LC-PCBs and their hydroxylated and sulfated derivatives by selective displacement of the fluorescent probes 5-dimethylamino-1-naphthalenesulfonamide and dansyl-l-proline from the two major drug-binding sites on HSA (previously designated as Site I and Site II). Values for half-maximal displacement of the probes indicated that the relative binding affinities were generally PCB sulfate ≥ OH-PCB > PCB, although this affinity was site- and congener-selective. Moreover, specificity for Site II increased as the numbers of chlorine atoms increased. Thus, hydroxylation and sulfation of LC-PCBs result in selective interactions with HSA which may affect their overall retention and toxicity.

Polychlorinated biphenyls and their association with survival following breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are hypothesised to influence breast carcinogenesis due to their persistence and potential to induce oestrogenic and anti-oestrogenic effects. Whether PCBs influence survival following breast cancer is unknown.

METHODS

A population-based cohort of women diagnosed with first primary invasive or in situ breast cancer in 1996-1997 and with blood-measured PCBs (n=627) collected shortly after diagnosis was followed for vital status through 2011. After 5 and 15 years, we identified 54 and 187 deaths, respectively, of which 36 and 74 were breast cancer related. Using Cox regression, we estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality for baseline PCB concentrations, individually and as oestrogenic (ΣGroup 1B: PCB101, PCB174, PCB177, PCB187, and PCB199), anti-oestrogenic (ΣGroup 2A: PCB66, PCB74, PCB105, and PCB118; ΣGroup 2B: PCB138 and PCB170), and cytochrome P450 enzyme-inducing (ΣGroup 3: PCB99, PCB153, PCB180, PCB183, and PCB203) groups.

RESULTS

The highest PCB174 tertile was associated with an increase in all-cause (HR=2.22, 95% CI: 1.14-4.30) and breast cancer-specific (HR=3.15, 95% CI: 1.23-8.09) mortalities within 5 years of diagnosis and remained associated with breast cancer-specific mortality (HR=1.88, 95% CI: 1.05-3.36) at 15 years. At 5 years, the highest tertile of PCB177 was positively associated with all-cause mortality (HR=2.12, 95% CI: 1.05-4.30). At 15 years, the highest tertiles of ΣGroup 2A congeners and PCB118 were inversely associated with all-cause mortality (HR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.39-0.83; HR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.43-0.92, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

In this first US study of PCBs and breast cancer survival, PCBs were associated with mortality in biologically plausible directions. The investigation of other, structurally similar, chemicals may be warranted.

Effect of occupational polychlorinated biphenyls exposure on quality-adjusted life years over time at the HELPcB surveillance program

HELPcB (Health Effects in High-Level Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls [PCB]) is a surveillance program for former PCB-exposed workers of a capacitor recycling company and other concerned individuals. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) on the health-related quality of life (HRQL) and on quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The EQ-5D-3L questionnaire was used to determine the HRQL. After three cross-sectional examinations at intervals of 1 yr, the longitudinal development of QALY was compared by repeated-measurement analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The cohort was split at the 95th percentile of the comparison group for each PCB congener; known confounders such as age were taken into account. A significant difference in height and development of QALY over time was shown for the higher chlorinated non-dioxin-like PCB (hcPCB) congeners. A significant between-groups effect was found on PCB 153, PCB 180, and the sum of hcPCB. It was found that QALY decreased in the high-burden group and QALY stabilized after yr 2 in the normal-burden group. Taking the dimensions of the EQ-5D into account, the between-groups effect seems to be based predominantly on the dimension anxiety. The development of the within-group effect, however, seems to be based on the dimension mobility. This study detected a significant influence of hcPCB on the development of HRQL and QALYs over time according to the level of internal PCB burden.