Bono R, Vincenti M, Meineri V, Pignata C, Saglia U, Giachino O, Scursatone E
Department of Public Health and Microbiology, University of Turin, Italy.
Environ Res. 1999 Jul;81(1):62-71. doi: 10.1006/enrs.1998.3937.
Human exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO) occurs mainly through inhalation of occupational polluted air and tobacco smoke. EtO is able to react with DNA and proteins producing some molecular adducts. One of these, resulting from reaction between EtO and valine in hemoglobin, is N-(2-hydroxyethyl) valine (HOEtVal). This adduct represents a biological effective dose marker, the level of which correlates linearly with the alkylating activity occurring in DNA. The aim of the present study was to measure HOEtVal in 146 urbanized adult and healthy subjects, nonoccupationally exposed to EtO, and to correlate it with smoke habits. HOEtVal showed a direct positive relationship to tobacco smoke exposure quantified by questionnaire, urinary cotinine (r=0.64509), and the number of cigarettes (r=0. 6308) actively or passively smoked. Results relative to HOEtVal and urinary cotinine in adults distinguish well between active and passive smokers but do not allow distinguishment between passive smokers and nonsmokers. Nevertheless, several authors demonstrated a very good capacity of cotinine to discriminate inside groups of adolescents passive smokers. Therefore, the future objective of the present study is a closer inspection of the two biomarkers with respect to passive exposure to tobacco smoke considering a large group of adolescents. Finally, the correlation between urinary cotinine and HOEtVal increases knowledge about early steps of the carcinogenic process due to active exposure to tobacco smoke.
人类接触环氧乙烷（EtO）主要通过吸入职业污染空气和烟草烟雾。环氧乙烷能够与DNA和蛋白质发生反应，产生一些分子加合物。其中一种是环氧乙烷与血红蛋白中的缬氨酸反应生成的N-(2-羟乙基)缬氨酸（HOEtVal）。这种加合物代表一种生物学有效剂量标志物，其水平与DNA中发生的烷基化活性呈线性相关。本研究的目的是测量146名未职业接触环氧乙烷的城市化成年健康受试者体内的HOEtVal，并将其与吸烟习惯相关联。HOEtVal与通过问卷调查量化的烟草烟雾暴露、尿可替宁（r = 0.64509）以及主动或被动吸烟的香烟数量（r = 0.6308）呈直接正相关。关于成年人HOEtVal和尿可替宁的结果能够很好地区分主动吸烟者和被动吸烟者，但无法区分被动吸烟者和非吸烟者。然而，几位作者证明可替宁在区分青少年被动吸烟群体方面具有很强的能力。因此，本研究未来的目标是考虑一大群青少年，更仔细地研究这两种生物标志物与被动接触烟草烟雾的关系。最后，尿可替宁与HOEtVal之间的相关性增加了对主动接触烟草烟雾致癌过程早期阶段的认识。
