Chromium (VI) induced oxidative damage to DNA: increase of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine concentrations (8-OHdG) among electroplating workers
- Correspondence to: Dr H W Kuo, Institute of Environmental Health, China Medical College, 91 Hsueh-Shin Road, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC; wukuo{at}mail.cmc.edu.tw
- Accepted 5 November 2002
Abstract
Aims: To investigate the concentration of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) among electroplating workers in Taiwan.
Methods: Fifty workers were selected from five chromium (Cr) electroplating plants in central Taiwan. The 20 control subjects were office workers with no previous exposure to Cr. Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were determined using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.
Results: Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations among Cr workers (1149.5 pmol/kg/day) were higher than those in the control group (730.2 pmol/kg/day). There was a positive correlation between urinary 8-OHdG concentrations and urinary Cr concentration (r = 0.447, p < 0.01), and urinary 8-OHdG correlated positively with airborne Cr concentration (r = 0.285). Using multiple regression analysis, the factors that affected urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were alcohol, the common cold, and high urinary Cr concentration. There was a high correlation of urinary 8-OHdG with both smoking and drinking, but multiple regression analysis showed that smoking was not a significant factor. Age and gender were also non-significant factors.
Conclusion: 8-OHdG, which is an indicator of oxidative DNA damage, was a sensitive biomarker for Cr exposure.
- 8-OHdG, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine
- AAS, atomic absorption spectrophotometry
- BMI, body mass index
- Cr, chromium
- CV, coefficient of variation
- ECD, electrochemical detection
- HPLC, high pressure liquid chromatography
- ROS, reactive oxygen species
- SPE, solid phase extraction
