Biofluid metabotyping of occupationally exposed subjects to air pollution demonstrates high oxidative stress and deregulated amino acid metabolism.

Surya Narayan Pradhan,Ranjan Kumar Nanda,Aleena Das,Ramovatar Meena,Paulraj Rajamani

doi:10.1038/srep35972

Abstract

Occupational exposure to air pollution induces oxidative stress and prolonged exposure increases susceptibility to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in several working groups. Biofluid of these subjects may reflect perturbed metabolic phenotypes. In this study we carried out a comparative molecular profiling study using parallel biofluids collected from subjects (n = 85) belonging to auto rickshaw drivers (ARD), traffic cops (TC) and office workers (OW). Higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammation markers in serum of ARD subjects were observed as compared to OW and TC. Uni and multivariate analyses of metabolites identified in urine by 1H NMR revealed 11 deregulated molecules in ARD subjects and involved in phenylalanine, histidine, arginine and proline metabolism. Despite contribution of confounding factors like exposure period, dietary factors including smoking and alcohol status, our results demonstrate existence of exposure specific metabotypes in biofluids of ARD, OW and TC groups. Monitoring serum oxidative stress and inflammation markers and urine metabolites by NMR may be useful to characterize perturbed metabolic phenotypes in populations exposed to urban traffic air pollution.

Highlights

Occupational exposure to air pollution induces oxidative stress and prolonged exposure increases susceptibility to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in several working groups
Of the total 85 subjects recruited in this study, 100% were male, mean age 33 years and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 23.8 kg/m2 (s.d.: 1.16)
We attempted to explore whether serum oxidative stress markers and urinary metabolites of subjects exposed to traffic air pollution irrespective of their smoking status could be useful to understand their perturbed metabolic phenotype

Summary

Introduction

Occupational exposure to air pollution induces oxidative stress and prolonged exposure increases susceptibility to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in several working groups Biofluid of these subjects may reflect perturbed metabolic phenotypes. Monitoring serum oxidative stress and inflammation markers and urine metabolites by NMR may be useful to characterize perturbed metabolic phenotypes in populations exposed to urban traffic air pollution. Very limited study has been attempted to metabotype biofluids of auto rickshaw drivers (ARD) to investigate their perturbed health status[10] These subjects spends ~8 hrs/duty day in traffic and study on the effect of air pollution in ARD could aid in understanding its impact in other vulnerable groups like bikers, motorists, drivers using paddle or electric powered tricycles to ferry people or material and open car. Monitoring known oxidative stress and inflammation markers in serum and urine metabolic profiling by 1H NMR provides useful information to decipher altered metabolic phenotypes in subjects exposed to different pollutions[11,12,13]

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