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Association of human cohorts exposed to blood and urinary biomarkers of PAHs with adult asthma in a South Asian metropolitan city

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Abstract

Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are a major global problem that causes the greatest impact on urban settings and have been linked to bronchial asthma in both children and adults in Pakistan. The association between exposure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and asthma in the adult population is less clear. The current study aimed to assess the clinico-chemical parameters and blood levels of naphthalene phenanthrene, pyrene, and 1,2-benzanthracene and urinary levels of 1-OH pyrene and 1-OH phenanthrene as well as asthma-related biomarkers immunoglobulin E (IgE), resistin, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of oxidative stress and other hematologic parameters in adults and their relationship with bronchial asthma. The GC/MS analysis showed higher mean concentrations of blood PAHs in asthma respondents (4.48 ± 1.34, 3.46 ± 1.04, 0.10 ± 0.03, and 0.29 ± 0.09) (ng/mL) as compared to controls (3.07 ± 0.92, 1.71 ± 0.51, 0.06 ± 0.02, and 0.11 ± 0.03) (ng/mL), with p = .006, p = .001, p = .050, and p = .001. Similarly, urinary levels of 1-OHpyr and 1-OHphe were significantly increased in adults with bronchial asthma (0.54 ± 0.16; 0.13 ± 0.04) (μmol/mol-Cr) than in controls (0.30 ± 0.09; 0.05 ± 0.02) (μmol/mol-Cr), with p = .002 and p = .0001, respectively, with a significant positive correlation to asthma severity. The asthma-related biomarkers IgE, resistin, and SOD were significantly higher (p 0.0001, 0.0001, and 0.0001) in people with asthma than in control persons. The findings showed that higher blood and urine PAHs levels were linked to higher asthma risk in adults and significant interaction with participants who smoked, had allergies, had a family history of asthma, and were exposed to dust. The current study’s findings will be useful to local regulatory agencies in Lahore in terms of managing exposure and advocating efforts to minimize PAH pollution and manage health.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article (and supplementary information).

Abbreviations

SVOCs:

Semi-volatile organic compounds

PAHs:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

BMI:

Body mass index

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

IgE:

Immunoglobulin E

GC/MS:

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

POPs:

Persistent organic pollutants

ATS-DLD:

American Thoracic Society Division of Lung Disease

SPSS:

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

MMW:

Medium molecular weight

LMW:

Low molecular weight

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sustainable Development Study Centre (SDSC), Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan

    Rabia Aslam, Faiza Sharif, Mujtaba Baqar & Abdul-Sattar Nizami

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  1. Rabia Aslam
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  2. Faiza Sharif
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  3. Mujtaba Baqar
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  4. Abdul-Sattar Nizami
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Contributions

Rabia Aslam: data curation; formal analysis, conceptualization, writing—original draft, investigation. Faiza Sharif: supervision, writing—review and editing, conceptualization. Mujtaba Baqar: co-supervision, visualization, review and editing resources, conceptualization. Abdul-Sattar Nizami: visualization, writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Rabia Aslam or Mujtaba Baqar.

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Aslam, R., Sharif, F., Baqar, M. et al. Association of human cohorts exposed to blood and urinary biomarkers of PAHs with adult asthma in a South Asian metropolitan city. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 35945–35957 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-24445-z

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