Butcher R D, Goodman B A, Deighton N, Smith W H
Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, UK.
Clin Exp Allergy. 1995 Oct;25(10):985-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1995.tb00401.x.
Upward trends in allergy and asthma rates have been reported in most western societies, including the UK, where around 15-20% of the population now suffer from allergy or asthma. Scientific proof of the causes of these increases relies on accurate assessment of exposure and standardized diagnostic tests, such as for specific IgE in blood serum and skin testing. For many air pollutants it has proven difficult to assess an individual's exposure outside an occupational environment and reliable test development is hampered by not knowing whether an allergic or irritant mechanism is involved. These problems are particularly evident in the controversial issue of whether airborne releases from oilseed rape can cause health effects.
To develop a method for evaluating the allergic/irritant potential of air pollutants and to assess whether the volatile organic compounds emitted by oilseed rape have this potential.
Proteins were exposed in vitro to volatile organic compounds emitted by oilseed rape. Electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry was used to detect any resultant protein modifications.
Dimethyl disulphide, thiocyanic acid methyl ester and 2-methyl-propanenitrile were able to modify human proteins. In addition, two isothiocyanates which can be emitted by damaged oilseed rape also have this ability. The major products emitted by undamaged oilseed rape, terpenes, a sesquiterpene and a terpene alcohol did not have this property, but the possible role of their oxidized products is discussed.
Some of the volatile organic compounds emitted by oilseed rape have the potential to be allergens/irritants. Standardized modified proteins produced by this method should prove useful for biomonitoring human exposure in molecular epidemiological studies as well as in diagnostic tests. This method should find further application in investigations into the possible health effects of other environmental pollutants.
在包括英国在内的大多数西方社会，过敏和哮喘发病率呈上升趋势，目前约15%-20%的英国人口患有过敏或哮喘。这些发病率上升原因的科学证据依赖于对暴露情况的准确评估和标准化诊断测试，如血清特异性IgE检测和皮肤测试。对于许多空气污染物而言，已证明在职业环境之外评估个人暴露情况存在困难，而且由于不清楚涉及的是过敏还是刺激机制，可靠测试的开发也受到阻碍。这些问题在关于油菜籽空气传播释放物是否会对健康产生影响这一有争议的问题上尤为明显。
开发一种评估空气污染物过敏/刺激潜力的方法，并评估油菜籽排放的挥发性有机化合物是否具有这种潜力。
将蛋白质在体外暴露于油菜籽排放的挥发性有机化合物中。采用电喷雾电离质谱法检测由此产生的任何蛋白质修饰。
二甲基二硫、硫氰酸甲酯和2-甲基丙腈能够修饰人类蛋白质。此外，受损油菜籽排放的两种异硫氰酸酯也具有这种能力。未受损油菜籽排放的主要产物萜类、一种倍半萜和一种萜醇不具有这种特性，但讨论了其氧化产物的可能作用。
油菜籽排放的一些挥发性有机化合物有可能成为过敏原/刺激物。通过这种方法产生的标准化修饰蛋白质在分子流行病学研究的人体暴露生物监测以及诊断测试中应会被证明有用。该方法应会在调查其他环境污染物可能的健康影响方面得到进一步应用。
