Plasma metabonomics investigation reveals involvement of fatty acid oxidation in hematotoxicity in Chinese benzene-exposed workers with low white blood cell count

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2018-11, Vol.25 (32), p.32506-32514
• Main Authors: Sun, Rongli, Xu, Kai, Zhang, Qiaoyun, Jiang, Xiaoyun, Man, Zhaodi, Yin, Lihong, Zhang, Juan, Pu, Yuepu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase, Long-Chain - blood; Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase, Long-Chain - deficiency; Acyltransferase; Adult; Animals; Aquatic Pollution; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Benzene; Benzene - toxicity; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - blood; Carnitine; Carnitine Acyltransferases - blood; China; Congenital Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes; Contaminants; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Exposure; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - blood; Female; Glutathione; Glutathione - blood; Health care; Health hazards; Hemolytic Agents; High performance liquid chromatography; Humans; Hydrocarbons; Leukocyte Count; Leukocytes; Lipid metabolism; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Lipid Metabolism - genetics; Lipid Metabolism, Inborn Errors - blood; Liquid chromatography; Male; Mass Spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolic pathways; Metabolism; Metabolites; Metabolome; Metabolomics - methods; Mice; Mitochondrial Diseases - blood; mRNA; Muscular Diseases - blood; Occupational exposure; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - analysis; Occupational hazards; Oxidation; Oxidation-Reduction; Porphyrins - blood; Principal components analysis; Public health; Research Article; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3160-2

Benzene is an environmental and occupational contaminant. Health hazards associated with occupational benzene exposure is a major public health problem in China. In this study, we analyzed metabolite profiles among plasma samples collected from benzene-exposed workers with low white blood cell count (BLWs) and healthy controls using high-performance liquid chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. To screen potential benzene hematotoxicity biomarkers and metabolic pathways, principal component analysis was used to examine metabolite profile changes in plasma samples. The alterations in fatty acid oxidation (FAO) pathway were consistent with our previous findings in a mouse model; hence, two key genes were selected and verified in WBC samples. A total of nine identified metabolites were significantly changed in BLWs, which were involved in glutathione metabolism, porphyrin metabolism, lipid metabolism pathway, and FAO metabolism. Furthermore, compared with healthy controls, the mRNA expressions of carnitine acyltransferase (CRAT) and ACADVL were significantly increased in BLWs. Particularly, WBC counts was negatively correlated with the expression of AVADVL in BLWs. These aberrant metabolites could act as potential biomarkers for benzene hematotoxicity. In addition, fatty acid oxidation pathway may play a critical role in the development of hematotoxicity caused by benzene.