Identification and quantification of 1-nitropyrene metabolites in human urine as a proposed biomarker for exposure to diesel exhaust.

1-nitropyrene (1-NP) is one of the most abundant nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) in diesel exhaust particulate matter (DEP) and is a main contributor of direct-acting mutagenicity in DEP. Therefore, the metabolites of 1-NP are expected to be a biomarker for assessment of exposure to DEP. In this study, a highly specific and sensitive analytical method using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed to determine urinary 1-NP metabolites. After enzymatic hydrolysis of the conjugated metabolites, the analytes were selectively extracted from the urine matrix with blue rayon. The eluate from the rayon was further purified on an acidic alumina cartridge. Hydroxy-N-acetyl- 1-aminopyrenes (6- and 8-OHNAAP) and hydroxy-1-nitropyrenes (3-, 6-, and 8-OHNP) in human urine were identified by their retention times and MS/MS spectra and quantified by using deuterated internal standards. 1-NP metabolites were quantified in urine from all healthy, nonoccupationally exposed subjects. 6-OHNAAP, 8-OHNAAP, 6-OHNP, and 8-OHNP (means of 117, 109, 203, and 137 pmol/mol creatinine, respectively) were the most abundant isomers in human urine. This report is the first to demonstrate the presence of OHNAAPs and OHNPs in human urine, in agreement with previous in vivo and in vitro studies that predicted that these metabolites should be excreted into human urine. This method for determining urinary 1-NP metabolites should be useful for the surveillance of exposure to NPAHs and DEP and will facilitate the study of cancer risk associated with these exposures.

Determination of 1-nitropyrene metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection.

Three metabolites of 1-nitropyrene, i.e., 3-hydoxy-1-nitropyrene (3-OHNP), 6-hydoxy-1-nitropyrene (6-OHNP) and 8-hydoxy-1-nitropyrene (8-OHNP), were sensitively and selectively detected by HPLC with peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (CL) detection. In the system, the three OHNPs were reduced to their corresponding amino derivatives through a reduction column packed with Pt/Rh-coated alumina and then concentrated on a concentrator column. By rotating a switching valve, the analytes were eluted into a separator column (ODS), separated and then detected by the bis(2,4,6-trichlorphenyl)oxalate-H(2)O(2) CL system. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio=3) were in the range from 5fmol (6-OHNP and 8-OHNP) to 12fmol (3-OHNP) per injection. To demonstrate the proposed method, it was used to determine three compounds in the incubation mixture of 1-nitropyrene and rat S9 mix.