Cent Eur J Public Health 2018, 26(3):190-194 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4972

A new potential biomarker in early diagnosis of firefighter lung function impairment: dynamic thiol/disulphide homeostasis

Meºide Gündüzöz1, Servet Birgin İritaº2, Lütfiye Tutkun3, Murat Büyükºekerci4, Sultan Pinar Çetintepe5, Ceylan Bal6, Murat Aliºik6, Serpil Erdoğan7, Hinç Yilmaz8, Özcan Erel5
1 Department of Family Medicine, Occupational Diseases Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
2 Council of Forensic Medicine, Branch Office of Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
3 Department of Medical Biochemistry, Bozok University, Faculty of Medicine, Yozgat, Turkey
4 Department of Pharmacology, Occupational Diseases Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
5 Department of Internal Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
6 Department of Biochemistry, Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara, Turkey
7 Department of Biochemistry, Atatürk Educational and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
8 Department of Public Health, Yildirim Beyazit University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between urinary arsenic, oxidative stress, assessed by thiol/disulphide homeostasis, and lung diseases in firefighters.

Methods: The study conducted among the municipality-based male firefighters (n = 100) who were admitted to occupational diseases clinic for periodic medical examination. The control group consisted of non-exposed male office workers (n = 50). Urinary arsenic levels, thiol/disulphide homeostasis parameters of participants were determined. Also, lung diseases were assessed by chest X-ray and pulmonary function tests.

Results: The mean age and work year did not differ in the study and control group. The median urinary arsenic concentration of firefighters was significantly higher than in the control group: 15.65 (2.5-246) μg/L and 3 (0.10-6) μg/L, respectively (p < 0.001). The parameters of pulmonary function tests (PFT) FVC (%), FEV1 (%), FEV1/FVC ratio and FEF 25-75 (%) were all significantly lower in firefighters compared to controls. A significant increase in mean serum disulphide concentration (17.10 ± 8.31 μmol/L vs. 7.48 ± 5.91) (Fig. 1) and disulphide/native thiol % ratio: 3.63 (0.53-11.43) vs. 1.51 (0.03-7.65) (p < 0.001) were found between exposed group and controls. The Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between urinary arsenic and disulphide (r = 0.422, p < 0.001), disulphide/native thiol % ratio (r = 0.409, p < 0.001). Nevertheless, urinary arsenic correlated negatively with all PFT parameters including FVC (%), FEV1 (%), FEV1/FVC and FEF 25-75 (%) (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: We showed the arsenic-induced oxidative stress in firefighters with impairments of several lung functions determined by thiol/disulphide homeostasis using a novel method.

Keywords: firefighters, thiol/disulphide homeostasis, arsenic, respiratory function disorder, X-ray abnormality

Received: November 7, 2016; Revised: April 16, 2018; Published: September 30, 2018  Show citation

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Gündüzöz M, Birgin İritaº S, Tutkun L, Büyükºekerci M, Pinar Çetintepe S, Bal C, et al.. A new potential biomarker in early diagnosis of firefighter lung function impairment: dynamic thiol/disulphide homeostasis. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2018;26(3):190-194. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a4972. PubMed PMID: 30419620.
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