Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the lung

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) accumulated in human lung samples from men (n = 236) and women (n = 128) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to examine their association with lung cancer. The mean values for benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF), and benzo[g,h,i]perylene (BghiP) in lungs (ng/g dry lung) of Japanese autopsied patients were 0.54, 0.44, and 0.87, respectively. The modal values were 0.3, 0.3 and 0.5, respectively. Each of the PAH concentrations was highly correlated with the others (r > 0.83). PAH concentrations in the lungs showed age-related increases with low correlation-coefficient values. BaP, BkF and BghiP concentrations in lungs of various subgroups were in the following order: male > female; and lung cancer > all cancers > non-cancer among male not female group. Only BghiP concentration in the lungs of the male smoker group is significantly higher (P < 0.10) than that of the male non-smoker group. Even among non-smoker groups, PAH concentrations in the lungs of male group were significantly higher than those of female group. In the male population, excess exposure to PAHs together with fine carbon particles, such as tobacco smoke or diesel exhaust, correlated with increased prevalence of lung cancer.

Fibroblast-Specific Protein 1/S100A4–Positive Cells Prevent Carcinoma through Collagen Production and Encapsulation of Carcinogens

“…As environmental pollution progresses, the amount of chemical carcinogen chronically inhaled by the exposed human population will also increase. In particular, PAHs (such as methylcholanthrene) are globally distributed environmental pollutants known for their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects on humans (42)(43)(44)(45). Fibroblasts are also present in human tissues exposed to carcinogen as, for example, asbestosis, making it important to study if encapsulation of carcinogen can be found in humans, especially in the light of the report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Lyon, France) that diesel engine exhaust is definitely carcinogenic to humans (a group 1 carcinogen, which is actually the same category as methylcholanthrene; refs.…”

Molecular epidemiology of smoking and lung cancer

“…They are formed from the incomplete pyrolysis of tobacco leaves and many types of PAHs are present in tobacco smoke as a complex mixture. Parent PAHs can be detected in human lung tissue (Lodovici et al, 1998;Seto et al, 1993). PAHs are metabolically activated in humans through CYP1A1, CYP1B1 and CYP3A4 (Kim et al, 1998;Shimada et al, 1996), and conjugated for excretion by glutathione-S-transferases, sulfuronyl transferases and glucuronyl transferases (Robertson et al, 1988).…”

The Gulf Oil Spill

“…Using a large sample population, total PAH levels in lung tissue has also been shown to correlate to cancer incidence (Seto et al 1993).…”