Hsieh L L, Liou S H, Chen Y H, Tsai L C, Yang T, Wu T N
Department of Public Health, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan.
J Occup Environ Med. 2000 Feb;42(2):151-5. doi: 10.1097/00043764-200002000-00009.
This study was designed to evaluate the association between the aminolevulinate dehydrogenase (ALAD) genotype and blood lead levels in a general population environmentally exposed to lead. This study population of 660 subjects was secondarily sampled from the 3000 random samples of Taiwanese general population to study the distribution of blood lead levels in the Taiwanese population. A simple assay based on the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique was used to determine the genotype of the ALAD gene. This study found that most of the Taiwanese population was ALAD 1-1 (95.4%). Only 4.6% (30 subjects) of population were found to be 1-2 or 2-2. It has been hypothesized that the ALAD2 allele is associated with increased absorption of lead. This study found that individuals with ALAD2 alleles had 20% higher blood lead levels than persons with ALAD1 alleles (7.83 +/- 5.95 vs 6.51 +/- 5.03 micrograms/dL). However, the difference was not statistically significant, even after adjustment for other risk factors of environmental exposure. The result supports the previous finding that individuals with ALAD2 allele had higher blood lead levels. The small sample size and large amount of variation in our study may account for the insignificant association.
本研究旨在评估在环境铅暴露的普通人群中，氨基乙酰丙酸脱氢酶（ALAD）基因型与血铅水平之间的关联。本研究的660名受试者是从台湾普通人群的3000个随机样本中二次抽样而来，以研究台湾人群血铅水平的分布情况。采用基于聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性技术的简单检测方法来确定ALAD基因的基因型。本研究发现，大多数台湾人群为ALAD 1-1型（95.4%）。仅4.6%（30名受试者）的人群为1-2或2-2型。据推测，ALAD2等位基因与铅吸收增加有关。本研究发现，携带ALAD2等位基因的个体血铅水平比携带ALAD1等位基因的个体高20%（分别为7.83±5.95微克/分升和6.51±5.03微克/分升）。然而，即使在对其他环境暴露风险因素进行调整后，差异仍无统计学意义。该结果支持了之前的研究发现，即携带ALAD2等位基因的个体血铅水平较高。本研究样本量小且变异量大，可能是导致关联不显著的原因。
