Body Burdens of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins, Dibenzofurans, and Biphenyls and Their Relations to Estrogen Metabolism in Pregnant Women

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs, dioxins), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental endocrine disruptors that have half-lives of 7–10 years in the human body and have toxicities that probably include carcinogenesis. A high ratio of 4-hydroxyl estradiol (4-OH-E(2)) to 2-hydroxyl estradiol (2-OH-E(2)) has been suggested as a potential biomarker for estrogen-dependent neoplasms. In this cohort study of maternal–fetal pairs, we examined the relationship of PCDD/PCDF and PCB exposure to levels of estrogen metabolites in the sera of 50 pregnant women 25–34 years of age from central Taiwan. Maternal blood was collected during the third trimester, and the placenta was collected at delivery. We measured 17 dioxin congeners, 12 dioxin-like PCBs, and 6 indicator PCBs in placenta using gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Estrogen metabolites in maternal serum were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The ratio of 4-OH-E(2):2-OH-E(2) decreased with increasing exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (β = −0.124, p = 0.004 by the general linear regression model, R = 0.4). Meanwhile, serum levels of 4-OH-E(2) increased with increasing concentrations of high-chlorinated PCDFs (i.e., 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-hepta-CDF: β = 0.454, p = 0.03, R = 0.30). Altered estrogen catabolism might be associated with body burdens of PCDDs/PCDFs. Our study suggests that exposure to PCDDs/PCDFs significantly affects estrogen metabolism. Therefore, PCDD/PCDF exposure must be considered when using the OH-E(2) ratio as a breast cancer marker

Association between nitric oxide and cancer and stroke risk: a meta-analysis

Background: Numerous case-control studies have been carried out to test the mechanism by which nitric oxide, specifically the polymorphism 894G>T in the eNOS gene, or endothelial nitric oxide synthase, raises the possibility of stroke and cancer. This meta-analysis aimed to describe the correlation between cancer and stroke risk with nitric oxide (eNOS 894G>T polymorphism). Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on various digital databases, including Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar, for articles published between 2012-2023. All related studies were collected and analysed to observe the published results. Results: The meta-analysis included a total of fifteen case-control studies. These studies involved 3,019 cases (2,013 cancer and 1,006 strokes) and 3,333 controls (2,187 to evaluate cancer risk and 1,146 to evaluate stroke risk) overall. This study found that the GG versus GT+TT genotype of eNOS 894G>T polymorphism was significantly positively correlated with cancer risk, indicating that there is an association between eNOS 894G>T polymorphisms and an increased risk of developing cancer. Additionally, The significance of this association was further attributed to the specific type of polymorphism involved, as well as the risk of stroke in the T versus G model, followed by TT versus GG+GT. Conclusions: The eNOS 894G>T polymorphism showed a significant association with cancer and stroke risk. Specifically, the GT+TT model was associated with increased cancer risk compared to the GG model. This polymorphism also showed an association with stroke risk, with the T and TT models showing increased risk compared to the G and GG+GT models. These results suggest that the eNOS 894G>T polymorphism may be a potential risk factor for cancer and stroke

Urinary levels of organophosphate flame retardants metabolites in a young population from Southern Taiwan and potential health effects

BackgroundOrganophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are widely distributed in the environment and their metabolites are observed in urine, but little is known regarding OPFRs in a broad-spectrum young population from newborns to those aged 18 years.ObjectivesInvestigate urinary levels of OPFRs and OPFR metabolites in Taiwanese infants, young children, schoolchildren, and adolescents within the general population.MethodsDifferent age groups of subjects (n=136) were recruited from southern Taiwan to detect 10 OPFR metabolites in urine samples. Associations between urinary OPFRs and their corresponding metabolites and potential health status were also examined.ResultsThe mean level of urinary Σ10 OPFR in this broad-spectrum young population is 2.25 μg/L (standard deviation (SD) of 1.91 μg/L). Σ10 OPFR metabolites in urine are 3.25 ± 2.84, 3.06 ± 2.21, 1.75 ± 1.10, and 2.32 ± 2.29 μg/L in the age groups comprising of newborns, 1-5 year-olds, 6-10 year-olds, and 11-18 year-olds, respectively, and borderline significant differences were found in the different age groups (p=0.125). The OPFR metabolites of TCEP, BCEP, DPHP, TBEP, DBEP, and BDCPP predominate in urine and comprise more than 90% of the total. TBEP was highly correlated with DBEP in this population (r=0.845, p<0.001). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of Σ5OPFRs (TDCPP, TCEP, TBEP, TNBP, and TPHP) was 2,230, 461, 130, and 184 ng/kg bw/day for newborns, 1-5 yr children, 6-10 yr children, and 11-17 yr adolescents, respectively. The EDI of Σ5OPFRs for newborns was 4.83-17.2 times higher than the other age groups. Urinary OPFR metabolites are significantly correlated with birth length and chest circumference in newborns.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first investigation of urinary OPFR metabolite levels in a broad-spectrum young population. There tended to be higher exposure rates in both newborns and pre-schoolers, though little is known about their exposure levels or factors leading to exposure in the young population. Further studies should clarify the exposure levels and factor relationships

Association between nitric oxide and cancer and stroke risk: A meta-analysis

Background: Numerous case-control studies have been carried out to test the mechanism by which nitric oxide, specifically the polymorphism 894G>T in the eNOS gene, or endothelial nitric oxide synthase, raises the possibility of stroke and cancer. Methods: The aim of this meta-analysis was to describe the correlation between cancer and stroke risk with nitric oxide, by implementing a comprehensive search in various digital databases, including Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar, in the period 2012-2023 to observe the published results of all related studies. Results: The meta-analysis included a total of fifteen case-control studies. These studies involved 3,019 cases and 3,333 controls in total. This study found that the GG versus GT+TT genotype of eNOS 894G>T polymorphism was significantly positively correlated with cancer risk. Additionally, the significance of this association was further attributed to the specific type of polymorphism involved, as well as the risk of stroke in the T versus G model, followed by TT versus GG+GT. Conclusions: The results of the eNOS 894G>T polymorphisms have been correlated with cancer, and in particular, the GT+TT versus GG model yielded an odds ratio (OR of 1.96, a 95% CI of 1.22 to 3.15, and a p-value of 0.0005. Moreover, the mentioned polymorphisms were found to be associated with stroke risk in the T versus G model, which had an OR of 1.20; 95% CI of 1.01 to 1.43 with a p-value of 0.04; and TT versus GG+GT with an OR of 0.09; 95% CI of 0.03 to 0.30 with a p-value of 0.0001

The toxicity of human lung epithelial cells exposure to PM2.5 and glucose before or after intervention of Guilu Erxian Jiao

PM2.5 is known to be a potential risk factor for the progression of diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes (T2D). Guilu Erxian Jiao (GEJ), a traditional Chinese medicine containing deer antlers and turtle shells, has been shown to have multiple health benefits. Given the synergistic association between PM2.5 levels and T2D prevalence, as well as the therapeutic properties of GEJ, this study used treatment of PM2.5 and glucose to assess the mitigating effects of GEJ intervention in A549 cells. This study aimed to mimic the effects of a GEJ intervention on cell growth, cell death, wound healing, and oxidative stress after T2D patients’ exposure to PM2.5. Our findings showed that A549 cells exposure to PM2.5 or glucose led to a significant decrease in cell growth, an increase in cell death, and impaired wound healing, even at low levels of PM2.5 (10 µg mL–1 ) and glucose (20 mM). Cotreatment with PM2.5 and glucose at 50 µg mL–1 and 120 mM, respectively, exacerbated these effects. The administration of 200 µg mL–1 GEJ resulted in the most significant improvement, regardless of the presence of PM2.5 or glucose treatment. GEJ was revealed to upregulate antioxidant genes in A549 cells, such as MnSOD and CAT, indicating its potential radical-scavenging effects in cells treated with PM2.5 and glucose. The findings also revealed that cotreatment with high levels of PM2.5 and glucose in A549 cells leads to more severe health consequences, including reduced cell growth (decreased by 1.65–2.32%), increased cell death (increased by 4.8%–7.2%), impaired wound healing (reduced by –14–5.0%), and upregulation of reactive oxygen species. In contrast, GEJ intervention helped repair cellular damage (repaired by 3.2–7.9%), improving the wound healing rate from 51% to 63%. GEJ might have the potential to modulate oxidative stress and ameliorate the effects of high PM2.5 and glucose