Instrumental Analytical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
Institute for Urban Public Health, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Zweigerstrasse 37, 45130, Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2024 Apr;257:114343. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114343. Epub 2024 Feb 28.
Several aromatic amines (AA) are classified as human carcinogens, and tobacco smoke is one of the main sources of exposure. Once in the human body, they undergo different metabolic pathways which lead to either their excretion or ultimately to the formation of DNA and protein adducts. The aim of this study was to investigate AA in 68 urine samples (aged 29-79, 47% female), including 10 smokers (S), 28 past-smokers (PS) and 30 never-smokers (NS), and to study if there was a relation between the smoking status and the amount of the AA present. GCxGC-MS was used to analyze AA in complex urine samples due to its high peak capacity and the fact that it provides two sets of retention times and structural information, which facilitates the separation and identification of the target analytes. First, a qualitative comparison of an example set of a NS, PS and S sample was carried out, in which 38, 45 and 46 AA, respectively, could be tentatively identified. Afterwards, seven AA were successfully quantified in the samples. Of these, 4-ethylaniline (4EA, p = 0.015), 2,4,6-trimethylaniline (2,4,6TMA, p = 0.030), 2-naphthylamine (2NA, p = 0.014) and the sum of 2,4- and 2,6-dimethylaniline (DMA, p = 0.017) were found in significantly different (α = 0.05) concentrations for the S, 29 ± 14, 87 ± 49, 41 ± 26, and 105 ± 57 ng/L respectively, compared to the NS, 15 ± 6, 42 ± 30, 16 ± 6, and 48 ± 28 ng/L. And 2,4,6TMA (39 ± 26, p = 0.022), 2NA (18 ± 9, p = 0.025) and DMA (53 ± 46, p = 0.030), were also found at significantly higher concentrations in samples from S when compared to PS. However, some samples had AA concentrations outside the calibration curve and could not be taken into account, especially for 2-methylaniline (2MA). Therefore, all the samples were evaluated using a quantitative screening approach, by which the intensities of 4EA (p = 0.019), 2,4,6TMA (p = 0.048), 2NA (p = 0.016), DMA (p = 0.019) and 2MA (p = 0.006) in S were found to be significantly (α = 0.05) higher than in the NS, and 2MA (p = 0.019) and 4EA (p = 0.023) in S were found to be significantly higher than in the PS. An association between the smoking status and the amount of certain AA present could therefore be found. This information could be used to study the relation between the smoking status, the amount of AA present, and smoking related diseases like bladder cancer.
一些芳香胺（AA）被归类为人类致癌物，而烟草烟雾是暴露的主要来源之一。一旦进入人体，它们会经历不同的代谢途径，导致它们的排泄或最终形成 DNA 和蛋白质加合物。本研究的目的是调查 68 个尿液样本（年龄 29-79 岁，47%为女性）中的 AA，包括 10 名吸烟者（S）、28 名曾经吸烟者（PS）和 30 名从不吸烟者（NS），并研究吸烟状况与 AA 含量之间是否存在关系。由于其高峰容量以及提供两组保留时间和结构信息的特点，GCxGC-MS 可用于分析复杂尿液样本中的 AA，这有助于目标分析物的分离和鉴定。首先，对一个 NS、PS 和 S 样本的示例集进行了定性比较，分别可以暂定鉴定出 38、45 和 46 种 AA。然后，在样本中成功定量了七种 AA。其中，4-乙基苯胺（4EA，p=0.015）、2,4,6-三甲基苯胺（2,4,6TMA，p=0.030）、2-萘胺（2NA，p=0.014）和 2,4-和 2,6-二甲基苯胺的总和（DMA，p=0.017）在 S 组中的浓度分别为 29±14、87±49、41±26 和 105±57ng/L，与 NS 组中的 15±6、42±30、16±6 和 48±28ng/L 相比存在显著差异（α=0.05）。此外，与 PS 相比，S 组中的 2,4,6TMA（39±26，p=0.022）、2NA（18±9，p=0.025）和 DMA（53±46，p=0.030）的浓度也显著更高。然而，一些样本的 AA 浓度超出了校准曲线，无法考虑在内，尤其是 2-甲基苯胺（2MA）。因此，所有样本都使用定量筛选方法进行了评估，通过该方法，在 S 组中发现 4EA（p=0.019）、2,4,6TMA（p=0.048）、2NA（p=0.016）、DMA（p=0.019）和 2MA（p=0.006）的强度显著高于 NS 组，而 2MA（p=0.019）和 4EA（p=0.023）在 S 组中的强度也显著高于 PS 组。因此，可以发现吸烟状况与某些 AA 含量之间存在关联。这些信息可用于研究吸烟状况、AA 含量与膀胱癌等与吸烟有关的疾病之间的关系。
