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Feasibility of using urinary N7-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl) Guanine as a biomarker for acrylamide exposed workers

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 28, pages 589–598 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Acrylamide (AA), a probable human carcinogen, is a widely-used industrial chemical but is also present in tobacco smoke and carbohydrate-rich foods processed at high temperatures. AA is metabolized to glycidamide (GA) to cause the formation of DNA adducts. N7-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl) guanine (N7-GAG), the most abundant DNA adduct induced by GA, was recently detected in urine of smokers and non-smokers. In this study, we assessed the variability of AA exposure and biomarkers of AA exposure in urine samples repeatedly collected from AA-exposed workers and explored the half-life of N7-GAG. A total of 8 AA-exposed workers and 36 non-exposed workers were recruited. Pre-shift and post-shift urine samples were collected from the exposed group in parallel with personal sampling for eight consecutive days and from the control group on day 1 of the study. Urinary N7-GAG and the mercapturic acids of AA and GA, namely N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine (AAMA) and N-(R,S)-acetyl-S-(1-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-l-cysteine (GAMA) were analyzed using on-line solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry methods. We found that N7-GAG levels in urine were significantly higher in exposed workers than in controls and that N7-GAG level correlated positively with AAMA and GAMA levels. Results from this study showed that AAMA and GAMA possibly remain the more preferred biomarkers of AA exposure and that N7-GAG levels could be elevated by occupational exposures to AA and serve as a biomarker of AA-induced genotoxicity for epidemiological studies.

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Acknowledgements

This research was finically supported by a grant from the National Health Research Institute (EO-095-PP-02), a grant from the National Science Council of the Republic of China, Taiwan (MOST 95–2314-B-400-004-MY3), and a grant from Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH95-A319), Taiwan. We acknowledge the cooperation of the staff in the IOSH and our study participant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National United University, Miaoli, Taiwan

    Yu-Fang Huang

  2. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Yu-Fang Huang & Chensheng Alex Lu

  3. Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yu-Fang Huang & Mei-Lien Chen

  4. Department of Food Science, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Neipu, Pingtung, Taiwan

    Chih-Chun Jean Huang

  5. Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan

    Saou-Hsing Liou

  6. School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Su-Yin Chiang

  7. Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan

    Kuen-Yuh Wu

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Huang, YF., Huang, CC.J., Lu, C.A. et al. Feasibility of using urinary N7-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl) Guanine as a biomarker for acrylamide exposed workers. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 28, 589–598 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-018-0018-0

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