학술논문
Circulating immune/inflammation markers in Chinese workers occupationally exposed to formaldehyde
Document Type
article
Author
Seow, Wei Jie; Zhang, Luoping; Vermeulen, Roel; Tang, Xiaojiang; Hu, Wei; Bassig, Bryan A; Ji, Zhiying; Shiels, Meredith S; Kemp, Troy J; Shen, Min; Qiu, Chuangyi; Reiss, Boris; Beane Freeman, Laura E; Blair, Aaron; Kim, Christopher; Guo, Weihong; Wen, Cuiju; Li, Laiyu; Pinto, Ligia A; Huang, Hanlin; Smith, Martyn T; Hildesheim, Allan; Rothman, Nathaniel; Lan, Qing
Source
Carcinogenesis. 36(8)
Subject
Language
Abstract
BackgroundFormaldehyde has been classified as a human myeloid leukemogen. However, the mechanistic basis for this association is still debated.ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate whether circulating immune/inflammation markers were altered in workers occupationally exposed to formaldehyde.MethodsUsing 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.ResultsWe 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.ConclusionsOur 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.