Evaluation of Some Inflammatory, Cancer Markers and Total Antioxidant Status among Cement Loaders in Port-Harcourt

Abstract

The effect of cement dust has been linked to many diseases but very few studies have been able to study the impact of cement on oxidative stress, inflammation and carcinogenesis in Port Harcourt. Therefore, this study was focus on assessing the effect of cement dust on total antioxidant status (TAS), inflammatory markers and cancer markers among cement loaders in Port Harcourt. The study was conducted in Port Harcourt among 100 cement loaders and 100 non-cement exposed individuals who made up the control group. Upon consenting to participate in the study, subjects were randomly selected for recruitment into the study. Five milliliters of blood was collected from each subject and was assayed for total antioxidant status (TAS) using enzymatic colorimetric method, IL-10, IL-1 \(\beta\) , Neuron specific Enolase (NSE), C-Reactive protein (CRP), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A) using ELISA technique. Results compared TAS, IL-10, IL-1 \(\beta\) , NSE, CRP and VEGF-A levels between cement exposed group and control group. TAS result revealed that there was a significant decrease between in the exposed group (P-value=0.0011). CRP, result revealed that there was no significant difference between both groups (P-value=0.1103). IL-10, result revealed that there was a significant decrease in the exposed group (P-value=0.0030). IL-1 \(\beta\) , result revealed that there was a significant increase in the exposed group (P-value=0.0012). VEGF-A result revealed that there was no significant difference between both groups (P-value=0.653). NSE, result revealed that there was a significant increase in the exposed groups (P-value<0.0001). This study has shown that human exposure to cement dust increases oxidative stress, affects inflammatory responses and may increase the risk of cancer among cement workers in Port Harcourt.