Styrene is one of the most important monomers produced worldwide, and it finds major use in the production of
polystyrene,
acrylonitrile-
butadiene-
styrene resins and unsaturated
polystyrene resins. Epidemiological studies on
styrene showed that the
malignancies observed most frequently in humans after exposure are related to the lymphatic and haemopoietic system. IARC classified
styrene a possible carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). In this study, we evaluated the effect of
styrene on gene expression profiles of human cord blood cells, as well as its activity on the apoptosis and bcl-2 related
protein expression. Data demonstrated that, after 24 and 48 h of exposure,
styrene (800 microM) induced an increase in the
necrosis of mononuclear cord blood cells, whereas it did not cause any increase in the apoptotic process. Western blot analysis revealed a modified expression of Bax, BCl-2, c-Jun, c-Fos and Raf-1
proteins in the human cord blood cells after direct exposure to
styrene, whereas p53 expression did not change. Furthermore, Macroarray analysis showed that
styrene changed cord blood gene expression, inducing up-regulation of
monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), and down-regulation of
CC chemokine receptor type 1 (CCR-1) and SLP-76
tyrosine-
phosphoprotein.