Health effects of occupational exposure to acrylamide using hemoglobin adducts as biomarkers of internal dose.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the health effects of occupational acrylamide exposure using hemoglobin (Hb) adducts as biomarkers of internal dose. METHODS: Two hundred and ten tunnel workers exposed for about 2 months to a chemical-grouting agent containing acrylamide and N-methylolacrylamide underwent a health examination. Blood samples were drawn for the analysis of Hb adducts of acrylamide. Fifty workers claiming recently developed or deteriorated symptoms of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) were referred to a neurophysiological examination. Workers with Hb-adduct levels exceeding 0.3 nmol/g globin attended follow-up examinations 6, 12, and 18 months after exposure cessation. RESULTS: Forty-seven workers had Hb-adduct levels within the normal background range (0.02-0.07 nmol/g globin), while the remaining 163 had increased levels up to a maximum of 17.7 nmol/g globin. Clear-cut dose-response associations were found between the Hb-adduct levels and PNS symptoms. Thirty-nine percent of those with Hb-adduct levels exceeding 1 nmol/g globin experienced tingling or numbness in their hands or feet. A no-observed adverse effect level of 0.51 nmol/g globin was estimated for numbness or tingling in the feet or legs. For 23 workers there was strong evidence of PNS impairment due to occupational exposure to acrylamide. All but two had recovered 18 months after the cessation of exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational exposure to a grouting agent containing acrylamide resulted in PNS symptoms and signs. The use of Hb adducts of acrylamide as a biomarker of internal dose revealed strong dose-response associations. The PNS symptoms were, however, generally mild, and in almost all cases they were reversible.

Effects of selenium deficiency on the formation and detoxification of endogenous electrophiles in rats.

Selenium deficiency could be expected to lead to enhanced lipid peroxidation through loss of selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity. Such a relation has, however, been difficult to verify. In the present study, the influence of selenium deficiency in rats on in vivo doses of some endogenously occurring low-molecular mass aldehydes and epoxides was determined. In vivo doses were measured by mass-spectrometric analysis according the N-alkyl Edman method of reaction products (adducts) with N-terminal valines in hemoglobin. Despite variations between experiments, the adduct levels of acetaldehyde and malonaldehyde were shown to be significantly higher in rats fed a selenium-deficient diet than in controls fed a selenium-adequate diet. No significant effect was found for the other aldehydes measured. In contrast, the in vivo doses of endogenous ethylene oxide and propylene oxide were lowered in selenium-deficient rats, indicating a 1.7-times faster detoxification rate. This was verified by the lower adduct levels in selenium-deficient rats following intraperitoneal administration of these epoxides at moderate doses. In conclusion, the results seem to reflect the complex changes of induced and reduced enzyme activities in response to selenium deficiency. Measurement of reactive compounds through their adducts to hemoglobin has shown its ability to elucidate the effects of selenium deficiency per se.

A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric method for in vivo dose monitoring of diepoxybutane, a metabolite of butadiene.

1,3-Butadiene, a common air pollutant formed in the combustion of organic matter, has been assessed by the U.S. EPA to be a strongly carcinogenic compound. This risk assessment is very uncertain because of the lack of information on the dose of the powerful carcinogenic metabolite diepoxybutane (DEB). This report presents an analytical method for in vivo dose monitoring of a unique marker for DEB. For a large number of alkylating agents in vivo doses are monitored by measurement by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) of adducts to N-terminal valine in hemoglobin (Hb), using a modified Edman degradation method. This method is applicable to monofunctional epoxides from butadiene. However, in reaction with N-terminal valine, DEB forms an adduct which is ring-closed to a pyrrolidine, N,N-(2,3-dihydroxy-1,4-butadiyl)valine, with a tertiary amino group that prevents detachment of the alkylated valine by the Edman reagent. Therefore a method has been developed based on the analysis by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) of the N-modified N-terminal peptides enriched after trypsin digestion of globin. In this study Hb samples from mice injected intraperitoneally with (+/-)-DEB were examined qualitatively and quantitatively with regard to the ring-closed adduct. The N-terminal pyrrolidine-heptapeptide was identified in treated mice. The highest adduct levels were obtained in samples from animals given the highest dose of DEB and the adduct levels were below the detection level in control mice.

Short-term exposure of rodents to diesel exhausts: usefulness for studies of genotoxic and immunotoxic effects.

An exposure facility was tested with regard to the information obtainable from short-term animal experiments for the assessment of health hazards from automotive engine exhausts. Indicators of immunotoxicity and genotoxicity were studied in guinea pigs and mice, respectively, exposed for 2 weeks, 8 h/day, to ten times diluted exhausts from a one-cylinder research diesel engine running at constant load. Regulated and non-regulated pollutants were determined. Besides increased number of lavageable cells in the airways, exposed guinea pigs exhibited, after immunization and challenge to ovalbumin, reduced leukotrienes B4 and C4 in lavage fluid and reduced anti-ovalbumin IgG in serum. Absence of increased CYP1A activity indicated that the exposure was below the threshold for induction of these enzymes. Instead a certain reduction of this activity indicated interaction with active enzyme sites. In vivo doses of some reactive metabolites of low molecular mass were measured by adducts to hemoglobin. Doses from aliphatic epoxides were low, in accordance with low hydrocarbon levels in the exhaust. The levels of hemoglobin adducts from aldehydes showed no clearcut influences of exposure. Genetic effects determined by DNA fingerprint analysis were indicated. It is concluded that repeated dose inhalation exposure of small numbers of animals is a useful mode of exposure for studying parameters that may elucidate toxic effects of air pollutants emitted from automotive engines, with a possibility to evaluate engine and fuel with regard to health hazards.

Characterization of hemoglobin adducts from a 4, 4'-methylenedianiline metabolite evidently produced by peroxidative oxidation in vivo.

4,4'-Methylenedianiline (MDA) is a widely used mutagenic and carcinogenic industrial chemical. It is also a metabolite of 4, 4'-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), which is used in the manufacturing of polyurethane foams. Biomonitoring of MDA, like other aromatic amines, is mainly carried out by GC/MS measurement of cysteine adducts in Hb from the nitroso metabolite, released by alkaline hydrolysis. In the present study it was investigated whether the formation of Hb adducts from non-nitroso metabolites of MDA can be used for the dosimetry of MDA. The study was carried out by treatment of mice with MDA and tritiated MDA or deuterated MDA and by identification of their products of reaction with Hb, after enzymatic hydrolysis of the globin and enrichment of the adducts. The main adduct, about 50% of the total amount of MDA associated with Hb, was characterized by MS and was shown to be a reaction product of MDA and the amino group of N-terminal valine in Hb, the derived structure being 1-[(4-imino-2, 5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)methyl]benzene-4-azo-2-isovaleric acid. It is likely that this quinonoid MDA imine adduct to valine was formed by an attack of a metabolite formed through peroxidative oxidation of MDA, in analogy with earlier observed oxidation of some other aromatic amines, e.g., benzidine. The reactive intermediate is suggested to be [(4-imino-2, 5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)methyl]-4-aminobenzene. The formation of the adduct was confirmed by incubating MDA with valine methyl ester in vitro in the presence of H2O2 and lactoperoxidase. Further, the same adduct was detected in MDI-exposed and control rats, the level in the exposed animals being about 60 times higher than in the controls. This study indicates that, at least in the mouse, extrahepatic peroxidative metabolism is an important pathway for the bioactivation of MDA, possibly leading to a genotoxic reactive intermediate. This study also demonstrates the usefulness of Hb adduct analysis for the identification of reactive intermediates in vivo.

Dose-dependent binding of trichloroethylene to hepatic DNA and protein at low doses in mice.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widely used industrial chemical and a low level contaminant of surface and ground water in industrialized areas. It is weakly mutagenic in several test systems and carcinogenic in rodents. However, the mechanism for its carcinogenicity is not known. We investigated the binding of [1,2-14C]TCE ([14C]TCE) to liver DNA and proteins in male B6C3F1 mice at doses more relevant to humans than used previously. The time course for the binding was studied in animals dosed with 4.1 micrograms [14C]TCE/kg body weight (b.w.) and sacrificed between 0.5 and 120 h after i.p. injection. A dose response study was carried out in mice given [14C]TCE at doses between 2 micrograms/kg and 200 mg/kg b.w. and sacrificed 2 h post-treatment. [14C]TCE associated with the DNA and protein extracts was measured using accelerator mass spectrometry. The highest level of protein binding (2.4 ng/g protein) was observed 1 h after the treatment followed by a rapid decline, indicating pronounced instability of the adducts and/or rapid turnover of liver proteins. DNA binding was biphasic with the first peak (75 pg/g DNA) at 4 h. However, the highest binding (120 pg/g DNA) was found between 24 and 72 h after the treatment. Dose response curves were linear for both protein and DNA binding. The binding of TCE metabolites to DNA was ca. 100-fold lower than to proteins when calculated per unit weight of macromolecules and when measured 2 h post-exposure. This study shows that TCE metabolites bind to DNA and proteins in a dose-dependent manner in liver, one of the target organs for its tumorigenicity. Thus, protein and DNA adduct formation should be considered as a factor in the tumorigenesis of TCE.

Intestinal bacteria and endogenous production of malonaldehyde and alkylators in mice.

Association of intestinal bacteria with endogenous production of some reactive compounds was studied by determination of adducts to haemoglobin in blood from germ-free and corresponding control mice. N-terminal valines in haemoglobin were analysed with regard to adducts from malonaldehyde (MA), ethene/ethylene oxide, propene/propylene oxide and methylating agents. It was found that the adduct levels from MA were 1.65 and 3.32 nmol/g globin in germ-free and control mice, respectively. The levels of adducts from ethylene oxide and propylene oxide were 10.8 and 10.3 pmol/g globin, respectively, in germ-free and 21.7 and 17.7 pmol/g globin, respectively, in control mice. The level of adducts from endogenous methylating agents was higher in germ-free mice than in controls (473 and 408 pmol/g globin, respectively). These differences in adduct levels between germ-free and conventional mice are statistically significant. The causes of the observed variations are so far not identified. This study confirms earlier findings on background levels of adducts in unexposed individuals and supports the hypothesis that these adducts reflect the occurrence of reactive intermediates in vivo that may constitute cancer risks in background cancer incidence. The present study also shows that intestinal bacteria may be an important determinant of such endogenous risk factors.

Studies on the relationship between hemoglobin and DNA adducts of malonaldehyde and their stability in vivo.

The stability of the adducts of malonaldehyde (MA) to N-terminal valine in hemoglobin (Hb) and to guanine at N1,N2 in liver DNA was determined in vivo. Mice were injected with radiolabeled or unlabeled MA and the decay of the levels of Hb and DNA adducts was determined using the N-alkyl Edman method and the 32P-postlabeling assay respectively. The rate of adduct formation was much higher towards valine in Hb than towards guanine in DNA. The highest level of adducts to valine was observed 4 h after the treatment, whereas the corresponding level for guanine was after approximately 120 h. The adduct to guanine in DNA was significantly more stable. The estimated half-lives of the adduct to N-terminal valine in Hb and for the adduct to guanine in DNA were approximately 6 and approximately 12.5 days respectively. The persistence of DNA adducts from MA in liver indicates that this type of adduct is poorly recognized by DNA repair enzymes and thus may accumulate during chronic exposure.

Adducted proteins for identification of endogenous electrophiles.

Chemically reactive compounds in tissues can be monitored through their products of reaction with biomacromolecules. For the purpose of in vivo dose monitoring, hemoglobin (Hb) has been preferred to DNA because of its well-defined life span and more facile chemical identification of adducts. Through the N-alkyl Edman method, adducts to the N-terminals (valines) of the globin chains are measured mass spectrometrically with high sensitivity. In studies of low molecular weight adducts from occupational exposures or tobacco smoke, background levels were found in nonexposed control persons. In some cases the origin of these adducts could be determined. For instance, the 2-hydroxyethyl adduct has been shown to originate from ethylene oxide, a metabolite of endogenously produced ethene. The measured level, about 20 pmole/g globin, agrees well with the ethylene oxide dose calculated from expired ethene. Animal studies indicate contributions from the intestinal flora and dietary factors. An average background level of about 200 pmole/g globin of methylvaline has been observed in unexposed humans. From reaction-kinetic studies of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), it has been shown that the background mainly originates from SAM. In twin studies, a genetic influence on the level has been shown. Furthermore, a contribution from tobacco smoking to the level was demonstrated in these studies. Certain aldehydes, e.g., malonaldehyde, have been shown to be related to dietary factors and lipid peroxidation. These studies show the usefulness of the method in a search for reactive compounds in the body, with the ultimate goal of assessing the total genotoxic load.

Determination of hemoglobin adducts from aldehydes formed during lipid peroxidation in vitro.

This study was performed in order to investigate the formation of hemoglobin (Hb) adducts from some aldehydes, known to be formed during the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Hb was reacted in vitro with aldehydes followed by reduction of hemolysate with sodium borohydride and isolation of globin. Using the N-alkyl Edman method, globin samples were derivatized with pentafluorophenyl isothiocyanate for specific splitting off of N-substituted N-terminal valines. Adducts formed were then characterized by gas chromatography mass spectrometry using different ionization techniques. It was shown that adducts from saturated aldehydes were Schiff bases and those from alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes were mixtures of Schiff bases and 1,4-addition products. Aldehyde adducts were also measured in Hb from erythrocytes induced for lipid peroxidation. Incubation of the erythrocytes in presence of arachidonic acid led to increased levels of adducts.

In vivo hemoglobin dosimetry of malonaldehyde and ethene in mice after induction of lipid peroxidation. Effects of membrane lipid fatty acid composition.

Hemoglobin (Hb) adduct determination by the N-alkyl Edman method was used for in vivo dosimetry of endogenously formed malonaldehyde (MA) and ethene in mice fed diets with different fatty acid composition and induced for lipid peroxidation with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). In order to amplify lipid peroxidation animals were pretreated with phenobarbital (PB) and the glutathione-depleting agent DL-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO). Non-treated animals raised on different diets were used as controls. Lipid peroxidation products in liver were measured as 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive compounds (TBA-C). Livers from control mice fed a soya oil based diet (rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, diet S) showed approximately 6.5-fold higher levels of TBA-C than those from animals raised on a coconut oil based diet (mostly saturated fatty acids, diet C). The level of adducts of MA to Hb, determined as N-(3-hydroxypropyl)valine, was approximately 1.5-fold higher in animals from diet S than in animals raised on diet C. The highest increases in the levels of TBA-C and MA adducts were obtained after a simultaneous treatment of the animals with PB, BSO and CCl4. The increases of TBA-C were 1.3-fold (diet C) and 1.7-fold (diet S). The corresponding increases of MA-Hb adduct levels were 1.3- and 1.6-fold respectively, indicating an increased susceptibility of mice fed diet S to lipid peroxidation. The level of adducts from ethene, determined as N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine, was also higher in mice from diet S than in animals fed diet C, when all treatment groups were considered. The difference was, however, only slightly significant (P less than 0.02). No difference between control and CCl4-treated animals, with regard to the ethene-Hb adduct, was found. Our results validate the use of Hb dosimetry for monitoring the effects of factors known to influence lipid peroxidation induced in vivo.

Monitoring exposure to simple epoxides and alkenes through gas chromatographic determination of hemoglobin adducts.

A method for monitoring exposure to ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) and their corresponding alkenes through the analysis of adducts to N-terminal valine in hemoglobin (Hb) using gas chromatography (GC) and electron-capture detection has been developed. The method is a further development of the so-called N-alkyl Edman method, which has thus far been carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The correlation between GC and GC/MS determinations of adduct levels in human samples was found to be good. The newly developed GC method enables the determination of adducts to Hb from EO and PO down to levels of about 100 pmol/g globin. This adduct level corresponds to the expected increment from ethene in inhaled tobacco smoke in a smoker of about 10 cigarettes/day or from an average exposure to about 50 ppb EO or 1 ppm PO during working hours.

Hemoglobin adducts and urinary mercapturic acids in rats as biological indicators of butadiene exposure.

Binding of 1,2-epoxy-3-butene, the primary metabolite of butadiene, to hemoglobin (Hb) and excretion of its mercapturic acid in urine were studied as potential indicators of butadiene exposure. Four groups of Wistar rats were exposed to butadiene at 0, 250, 500 and 1000 ppm 6 h/day, 5 days/week, during 2 weeks. Blood was collected at the end of exposure and 17 days later for analysis of hemoglobin adducts and adduct stability. Urine was collected each day during exposure (afternoon samples) and in between exposures (morning samples). Adducts of 1,2-epoxy-3-butene to N-terminal valine in Hb were measured using the N-alkyl Edman procedure and GC/MS of the thiohydantoin derivatives. The corresponding mercapturic acid was analysed, after deacetylation, through derivatization with phthaldialdehyde and HPLC with fluorescence detection. The Hb adducts proved to be stable and are therefore useful for dosimetry of long-term exposure to butadiene. The adduct levels increased linearly with exposure dose up to 1000 ppm (3 nmol/g Hb at 1000 ppm). The increase with exposure dose of the mercapturic acid concentration in urine was also compatible with a linear dose response up to 1000 ppm. The sensitivity of both analytical methods needs to be improved for their application to human samples.

Adducts of malonaldehyde and a few other aldehydes to hemoglobin.

A method for the determination of hemoglobin (Hb) adducts of malonaldehyde (MA), one of the main products of lipid peroxidation, was developed. The method was based on a sodium borohydride reduction of MA-adducts to stable 3-hydroxypropyl adducts and quantification of the adduct to the N-terminal valine of Hb by a modified Edman procedure. Background levels of approximately 0.2 and 3.8 nmol/g Hb were recorded in one human volunteer and in control mice, respectively. Increased adduct levels were observed in mice after induction of lipid peroxidation with carbon tetrachloride. The kinetics of the reaction of MA with Hb and the stability of adducts formed were studied in in vitro experiments. Based on the adduct levels in Hb and the rate constant for adduct formation, the concentration of free MA in erythrocytes in mice was estimated. The background levels of adducts of some other aldehydes in Hb were also measured and the possibility that these adducts are formed as artefacts was studied.

Unsaturated lipids and intestinal bacteria as sources of endogenous production of ethene and ethylene oxide.

Studies of adducts to hemoglobin (Hb) have revealed levels of hydroxyethylations of i.a. N-terminus (valines) in knowingly unexposed animals and persons (non-smokers). This paper describes some exploratory experiments with mice, carried out with the aim of tracing the origin of these background levels. It is shown that the hydroxyethylvaline content in Hb is higher in animals fed unsaturated lipids and lower in bacterium-free as compared to control animals. Lipid peroxidation and metabolism of intestinal bacteria, giving rise to ethene, precursor of ethylene oxide, are thus indicated to be sources of observed background hydroxyethylations.

Hemoglobin adducts in animals exposed to gasoline and diesel exhausts. 1. Alkenes.

Blood samples from rats and hamsters exposed to automotive engine exhausts in the Committee of Common Market Automobile Constructors long-term inhalation study at Battelle-Geneva were analysed for the levels of 2-hydroxyethylvaline (HOEtVal) and 2-hydroxypropylvaline (HOPrVal) in hemoglobin (Hb). These adducts to the N-terminus of the Hb chains were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of derivatives obtained by a modified Edman degradation that specifically cleaves off alkylated N-terminal amino acids (valine in Hb). The adduct levels found correspond to the metabolic conversion of about 5-10% of inhaled ethene and propene to ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, respectively, in agreement with results from earlier studies on mice inhaling radio-labelled alkenes. It is concluded that the alkenes, via epoxides, are the main sources of the observed HOEtVal and HOPrVal. From calculated doses and estimates of genotoxic potency the contribution from ethene in urban air to human cancer risk is discussed.

Methylations in human hemoglobin.

Levels of N-Methylvaline (MeVal) and N tau-methylhistidine (MeHis) were measured in male smokers and non-smokers in a program aimed at mapping background alkylations of hemoglobin (Hb) as potential indicators of doses of exogenous and endogenous genotoxic agents. MeVal was also determined in Hb from rats, Syrian golden hamsters, mice and chickens. MeVal was found to occur at levels around 0.5 nmole/g Hb, with relatively little variation between individuals and species. MeVal was not significantly affected by smoking. This result contrasts with elevated levels of N-hydroxyethylvaline (HOEtVal) measured in the same persons (Törnqvist et al., 1986b). Levels of S-methylcysteine (MeCys) (Bailey et al., 1981) and MeHis were much higher than those of MeVal. The high levels of MeCys and MeHis may be due partly to misincorporation during protein synthesis and to artifacts. S-Adenosylmethionine and formaldehyde are possible endogenous sources of MeVal. One individual (smoker) out of 21 selected for measurement of MeVal was an outlier, with raised levels of both MeVal and HOEtVal, as would be expected in case of a defective detoxification system.

Tissue doses of ethylene oxide in cigarette smokers determined from adduct levels in hemoglobin.

Determination of adducts to hemoglobin (Hb) is a useful approach for monitoring tissue doses of ultimate carcinogens. This approach provides a basis for both risk estimation and for the identification of a priori unknown environmental carcinogens. This paper describes the application of a new method for the analyses of Hb adducts to cigarette smokers and non-smokers. The results demonstrate a raised level of hydroxyethylation of N-terminal valine of Hb of smokers that is quantitatively compatible with ethene in the smoke being the source. The magnitude of the tissue doses of ethylene oxide originating from inhaled ethene suggests that this factor is a major contributor to smoking-associated cancer risk.

Misincorporation of alkylated amino acids into hemoglobin--a possible source of background alkylations.

Misincorporation of 2-hydroxyethylated amino acids into hemoglobin during de novo synthesis was studied by injecting mice with radiolabelled N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine, S-(2-hydroxyethyl)cystine or N tau-(2-hydroxyethyl)histidine. The results showed that S-(2-hydroxyethyl)cysteine and N tau-(2-hydroxyethyl)histidine were misincorporated, whereas N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine was not. Monitoring of in vivo doses of hydroxyethylating agents by determination of N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine was free of the disturbing influence of such misincorporation.

Monitoring human exposure to ethylene oxide by the determination of haemoglobin adducts using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Globin samples from ethylene oxide-exposed workers and non-exposed referrents were analysed by two methods: (i) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry determination of Nt-(2-hydroxyethyl)histidine as its methyl ester heptafluorobutyryl derivative, after hydrolysis of the protein and isolation of the alkylated amino acid by ion exchange chromatography. The internal standard, Nt-(2-hydroxy-d4-ethyl)histidine, was added to the protein before hydrolysis. (ii) Determination of N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine after derivatization of the protein by a modified Edman procedure, extraction and g.c.-m.s. determination of alkylated N-terminal valine in the form of its pentafluorophenylthiohydantoin derivative. The internal standard used was in this case a globin with a known content of hydroxy-d4-ethylated amino acids. The two methods gave consistent results, especially at high levels of alkylated products. The average content of hydroxyethylhistidine was 0.6 nmol/g higher than the content of hydroxyethylvaline. Higher levels of background alkylation (of unknown origin) were recorded with the histidine method as compared with the valine method, suggesting that the latter assay should show greater sensitivity for low level ethylene oxide exposure monitoring.