Usefulness of biomarkers as intermediate endpoints in health risks posed by occupational lead exposure

Abstract

The article concerns potential harmful effects of exposure to lead. Although the occurrence of severe lead poisoning has receded in several countries, occupational exposure resulting in moderate and clinically symptomatic toxicity is still common. An earlier and precise characterization of an individual response is obligatory in order to assess the possible risks for human health. Biomarkers may fill important gaps in the path from exposure to a disease. Specifically speaking, emerging (DNA double strand breaks and telomeric DNA erosion) and validated (micronuclei induction and chromosomal aberrations) biomarkers of genotoxicity seem to provide evidence for the assessment of molecular and cellular damage. Moreover, identification of genetic variability with a key role in modulating genotoxic damage may help minimize risks for susceptible subjects. Further investigations are naturally needed to properly define their diagnostic and/or prognostic value as "early warning" signs of a long-term risk for a subsequent clinically overt disease.

Urinary KIM-1: a novel biomarker for evaluation of occupational exposure to lead

“…Urinary kidney biomarkers such as NAG, β 2-MG, α 1-MG are commonly regarded as indexes of renal tubular injury, and are always used as diagnostic parameters in renal injury elicited by heavy metals14. The average blood lead level in the lead-exposed subjects in the current study was 121  μ g/L, which is far lower than the diagnostic criteria of lead poisoning, suggestive of an early and subclinical stage of lead poisoning.…”

“…As one of the most easily accumulated poisonous substances in human body, lead exposure is closely related to chronic renal injury10111920. Early diagnosis of lead-induced kidney damage still lacks appropriate methods with great accuracy and precision, but is critical for long term prognosis in workers with occupational lead exposure142122. The current study examined healthy workers with occupational lead exposure and compared the traditional urinary biomarkers with KIM-1 to evaluate their ability in predicting the lead-induced renal injury.…”

“…Early exposure to lead can cause renal proximal tubular dysfunction, chronic interstitial nephritis and eventually irreversible progressive chronic kidney disease that culminates in end stage renal failure8910111213. Therefore, early diagnosis of lead-induced renal damage is critically important for the prognosis of patients1415. Previous studies on evaluation of lead-induced renal injury mainly focused on traditional parameters of kidney function, such as blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance rate and low molecular weight proteinuria.…”

Polymorphism of genes encoding proteins of DNA repair vs. occupational and environmental exposure to lead, arsenic and pesticides

“…Ołów jest wykorzystywany w produkcji i recyklingu akumulatorów, naprawie samochodów, produkcji tworzyw sztucznych, ceramiki, farb i barwników. Odgrywa rów-nież istotną rolę w produkcji i recyklingu baterii [5].…”

Lead Induces Genotoxicity via Oxidative Stress and Promoter Methylation of DNA Repair Genes in Human Lymphoblastoid TK6 Cells

“…The most common routes of lead exposure are respiratory and digestive tracts, through which lead develops toxic effects on every organ and system of the body [ 4 ]. In recent years, it has been well demonstrated that lead or its compounds shows potential genotoxicity to various research subjects under different conditions [ 5 – 10 ], but few studies have explored lead-induced genotoxicity in human cells. TK6 human lymphoblasts with good differentiation ability, stable genome, and normal expression of P53, are widely used in genotoxicity studies [ 11 – 14 ] and can be useful for the in vitro study of human genotoxicity.…”