Circulating immune/inflammation markers in Chinese workers occupationally exposed to formaldehyde.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Formaldehyde has been classified as a human myeloid leukemogen. However, the mechanistic basis for this association is still debated.

OBJECTIVES:

We aimed to evaluate whether circulating immune/inflammation markers were altered in workers occupationally exposed to formaldehyde.

METHODS:

Using a multiplexed bead-based assay, we measured serum levels of 38 immune/inflammation markers in a cross-sectional study of 43 formaldehyde-exposed and 51 unexposed factory workers in Guangdong, China. Linear regression models adjusting for potential confounders were used to compare marker levels in exposed and unexposed workers.

RESULTS:

We found significantly lower circulating levels of two markers among exposed factory workers compared with unexposed controls that remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders and multiple comparisons using a false discovery rate of 10%, including chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 11 (36.2 pg/ml in exposed versus 48.4 pg/ml in controls, P = 0.0008) and thymus and activation regulated chemokine (52.7 pg/ml in exposed versus 75.0 pg/ml in controls, P = 0.0028), suggesting immunosuppression among formaldehyde-exposed workers.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our findings are consistent with recently emerging understanding that immunosuppression might be associated with myeloid diseases. These findings, if replicated in a larger study, may provide insights into the mechanisms by which formaldehyde promotes leukemogenesis.

• Authors: Wei Jie Seow, Luoping Zhang, Roel Vermeulen, Xiaojiang Tang, Wei Hu, Bryan A Bassig, Zhiying Ji, Meredith S Shiels, Troy J Kemp, Min Shen, Chuangyi Qiu, Boris Reiss, Laura E Beane Freeman, Aaron Blair, Christopher Kim, Weihong Guo, Cuiju Wen, Laiyu Li, Ligia A Pinto, Hanlin Huang, Martyn T Smith, Allan Hildesheim, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan
• Journal: Carcinogenesis (Carcinogenesis) Vol. 36 Issue 8 Pg. 852-7 (Aug 2015) ISSN: 1460-2180 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25908645 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: Published by Oxford University Press 2015.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• CCL17 protein, human
• CXCL11 protein, human
• Chemokine CCL17
• Chemokine CXCL11
• Chemokines
• Cytokines
• Immunosuppressive Agents
• TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand
• TNFSF10 protein, human
• Formaldehyde

Topics

• Adult
• Biomarkers (blood)
• Case-Control Studies
• Chemokine CCL17 (blood)
• Chemokine CXCL11 (blood)
• Chemokines (blood)
• China
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Cytokines (blood)
• Female
• Formaldehyde (toxicity)
• Humans
• Immunosuppressive Agents (toxicity)
• Inflammation (blood, chemically induced)
• Male
• Occupational Exposure (adverse effects)
• TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (blood)