Objective Cytokeratin 18 (CK18) is a novel serologic biomarker for occupational liver disease. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of CK18 elevation in elastomer/polymer workers exposed to acrylonitrile, 1,3 butadiene, and styrene. Methods 82 chemical workers were evaluated. CK18 was determined by ELISA and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured by multi-analyte chemiluminescent detection. Results 39% (32 of 82) had elevated CK18 levels which were not explained by alcohol or obesity, except in potentially 4 cases. The pattern of CK18 elevation was consistent with toxicant-associated steatohepatitis (TASH) in the majority of cases (78%). TNFα, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and PAI-1 were increased in these workers compared to those with normal CK18 levels. Conclusions These results suggest a high prevalence of occupational liver disease and TASH in elastomer/polymer workers with elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines.

The study objective was to determine the effect of feeding food enriched in (n-3) fatty acids (FA) on plasma FA profiles and leukotriene B (LTB) synthesis by stimulated peripheral blood neutrophils from dogs. For 36 weeks, two groups of dogs (n = 5) were fed food that contained either a low ratio of (n-6)-(n-3) FA (1.31:1; fish oil-enriched food) or a high ratio of (n - 6)-(n-3) FA (40.6:1; corn oil-enriched food). Consumption of food enriched in fish oil resulted in higher plasma concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and lower concentrations of arachidonic acid. Neutrophils from dogs fed fish oil-enriched food produced 7.6-fold more LTB(5)(P = 0.002), and the ratio of LTB(5)-LTB(4) concentrations was 8.3-fold higher (P < 0.001) compared with dogs fed corn oil-enriched food. Dietary FA can modulate leukotriene production by neutrophils in dogs, and suggests that foods enriched in (n-3) FA from fish oil may have value in the treatment of canine inflammatory diseases.

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