1
|
Ghelli F, Cocchi E, Bellisario V, Buglisi M, Squillacioti G, Santovito A, Bono R. The formation of SCEs as an effect of occupational exposure to formaldehyde. Arch Toxicol 2022; 96:1101-1108. [PMID: 35149893 PMCID: PMC8921006 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-022-03238-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Formaldehyde (FA) is a ubiquitous toxic chemical employed worldwide due to its disinfectant and preservative properties. Despite being classified as a human carcinogen, FA is still employed as formalin in pathology wards as standard fixative. We evaluated its relationship with the formation of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes on 57 pathologists and 48 controls and the risk/protective role played by several genetic polymorphisms. All subjects were assessed for SCEs and genotyped for the most common cancer-associated gene polymorphisms: CYP1A1 exon 7 (A > G), CYP1A1*2A (T > C), CYP2C19*2 (G > A), GSTT1 (presence/absence), GSTM1 (presence/absence), GSTP1 (A > G), XRCC1 (G399A), XRCC1 (C194T), XRCC1 (A280G), XPC exon 15 (A939C), XPC exon 9 (C499T), TNFα − 308 G > A), IL10 − 1082 (G > A), and IL6 − 174 (G > C). Air-FA concentration was assessed through passive personal samplers. Pathologists, exposed to 55.2 μg/m3 of air-FA, showed a significantly higher SCEs frequency than controls, exposed, respectively, to 18.4 μg/m3. Air-FA was directly correlated with SCEs frequency and inversely with the replication index (RI). Regression models showed FA exposure as a significant predictor in developing SCEs, while did not highlight any role of the selected polymorphisms. Our study confirms the role of low air-FA levels as genotoxicity inductor, highlighting the importance to define exposure limits that could be safer for exposed workers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federica Ghelli
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Enrico Cocchi
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Valeria Bellisario
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Martina Buglisi
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Giulia Squillacioti
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Alfredo Santovito
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Bono
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ghelli F, Bellisario V, Squillacioti G, Panizzolo M, Santovito A, Bono R. Formaldehyde in Hospitals Induces Oxidative Stress: The Role of GSTT1 and GSTM1 Polymorphisms. TOXICS 2021; 9:toxics9080178. [PMID: 34437496 PMCID: PMC8402352 DOI: 10.3390/toxics9080178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Despite the toxicity and health risk characteristics of formaldehyde (FA), it is currently used as a cytological fixative and the definition of safe exposure levels is still a matter of debate. Our aim was to investigate the alterations in both oxidative and inflammatory status in a hospital working population. The 68 workers recruited wore a personal air-FA passive sampler, provided a urine sample to measure 15-F2t-Isoprostane (15-F2t-IsoP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and a blood specimen to measure tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα). Subjects were also genotyped for GSTT1 (Presence/Absence), GSTM1 (Presence/Absence), CYP1A1 exon 7 (A > G), and IL6 (−174, G > C). Workers were ex post split into formalin-employers (57.3 μg/m3) and non-employers (13.5 μg/m3). In the formalin-employers group we assessed significantly higher levels of 15-F2t-IsoP, MDA and TNFα (<0.001) in comparison to the non-employers group. The air-FA levels turned out to be positively correlated with 15-F2t-IsoP (p = 0.027) and MDA (p < 0.001). In the formalin-employers group the MDA level was significantly higher in GSTT1 Null (p = 0.038), GSTM1 Null (p = 0.031), and CYP1A1 exon 7 mutation carrier (p = 0.008) workers, compared to the wild type subjects. This study confirms the role of FA in biomolecular profiles alterations, highlighting how low occupational exposure can also result in measurable biological outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federica Ghelli
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy; (F.G.); (V.B.); (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Valeria Bellisario
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy; (F.G.); (V.B.); (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Giulia Squillacioti
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy; (F.G.); (V.B.); (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Marco Panizzolo
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy; (F.G.); (V.B.); (G.S.); (M.P.)
| | - Alfredo Santovito
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123 Turin, Italy;
| | - Roberto Bono
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy; (F.G.); (V.B.); (G.S.); (M.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-011-670-5818
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ghelli F, Cocchi E, Buglisi M, Squillacioti G, Bellisario V, Bono R, Santovito A. The role of phase I, phase II, and DNA-repair gene polymorphisms in the damage induced by formaldehyde in pathologists. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10507. [PMID: 34006906 PMCID: PMC8131755 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89833-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Formaldehyde (FA) is a human carcinogen used as formalin in hospital laboratories. We evaluated its association with human chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and the risk/protective role played by several genetic polymorphisms in this relationship, on a cohort of 57 exposed pathologists vs 48 controls. All subjects were assessed for CAs on peripheral blood lymphocytes and genotyped for the most common cancer-associated gene polymorphisms which could be related with the genotoxic outcome: CYP1A1 exon 7 (A>G), CYP1A1*2A (T>C), CYP2C19*2 (G>A), GSTT1 (Positive/Null), GSTM1 (Positive/null), GSTP1 (A>G), XRCC1 (G399A), XRCC1 (C194T), XRCC1 (A280G), XPD (A751C), XPC exon 15 (A939C), XPC exon 9 (C499T), TNFα - 308 (G>A), IL10 - 1082 (G>A), IL10 - 819 (C>T) and IL6 - 174 (G>C). Air-FA concentration was assessed through personal samplers. The comparison between pathologists and controls showed a significantly higher CAs frequency in pathologists. Significant positive correlations were found between CAs frequency and air-FA concentration while significant associations were found between variation in CAs frequency and the mutated allele for CYP1A1 exon 7 (A>G), CYP2C19*2 (G>A), GSTT1-positive, GSTM1-positive and XRCC1 (G399A). Our study confirms the role of FA as genotoxicity inductor, even in workers chronically exposed to low air-FA levels and reveals the role played by some genetic polymorphisms in this association, highlighting the importance of individual susceptibility biomarkers assessment in occupational health studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federica Ghelli
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Enrico Cocchi
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Martina Buglisi
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Giulia Squillacioti
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Valeria Bellisario
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Bono
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126, Turin, Italy.
| | - Alfredo Santovito
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Santovito A, Gendusa C, Ferraro F, Musso I, Costanzo M, Ruberto S, Cervella P. Genomic damage induced by the widely used fungicide chlorothalonil in peripheral human lymphocytes. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2018; 161:578-583. [PMID: 29929134 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.06.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Chlorothalonil is an important broad spectrum fungicide widely used in agriculture, silviculture, and urban settings. As a result of its massive use, chlorothalonil was found in all environmental matrices, with consequent risks to the health of terrestrial and aquatic organisms, as well as for humans. We analyzed the effects of chlorothalonil on human lymphocytes using in vitro chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and micronuclei (MNi) assays. Lymphocytes were exposed to five concentrations of chlorothalonil: 0.600 µg/mL, 0.060 µg/mL, 0.030 µg/mL, 0.020 µg/mL, and 0.015 µg/mL, where 0.020 and 0.600 µg/mL represent the ADI and the ARfD concentration values, respectively, established by FAO/WHO for this compound; 0.030 and 0.060 μg/mL represent intermediate values of these concentrations and 0.015 μg/mL represents the ADI value established by the Canadian health and welfare agency. We observed cytogenetic effects of chlorothalonil on cultured human lymphocytes in terms of increased CAs and MNi frequencies at all tested concentrations, including the FAO/WHO ADI and ARfD values of 0.020 and 0.600 μg/mL, respectively, but with exception of the Canadian ADI value of 0.015 μg/mL. Finally, no sexes differences were found in the levels of CAs and MNi induced by different chlorothalonil concentrations. Similarly, the mitotic index and the cytokinesis-block proliferation index did not show any significant effect on the proliferative capacity of the cells, although at the chlorothalonil concentration of 0.600 μg/mL the P-values of both indices were borderline.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Santovito
- University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Via Accademia Albertina n. 13, 10123 Torino, Italy.
| | - Claudio Gendusa
- University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Via Accademia Albertina n. 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Francesca Ferraro
- University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Via Accademia Albertina n. 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Irene Musso
- University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Via Accademia Albertina n. 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Maria Costanzo
- University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Via Accademia Albertina n. 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Stefano Ruberto
- University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Via Accademia Albertina n. 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Piero Cervella
- University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Via Accademia Albertina n. 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| |
Collapse
|