Effect of exposure to low concentrations of benzene on miR-223 and miR-155 expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes
WANG Aihong1,2, LI Xiaohai1,2, LENG Pengbo1,2, DUAN Donghui1,2, FANG Lanyun1,2, ZHANG Dandan1,2
1. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Ningbo Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Ningbo, Zhejiang 315010, China; 2. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Health Risk Appraisal for Trace Toxic Chemicals, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315010, China
Abstract：Objective To investigate the effect of exposure to low concentrations of benzene on miR-155 and miR-223 expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes among workers with benzene exposure. Methods A hundred male employees at a risk of exposure to benzene (the exposed group) were randomly sampled from two small metal products manufacturing enterprises and one medium-sized chemical raw material and chemical products manufacturing enterprise in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, and 60 age-matched male employees without benzene exposure were randomly selected as the unexposed group. Age, body mass index ( BMI ), smoking status, alcohol consumption, disease history, medication history and routine blood testing results of subjects were collected using a questionnaire survey. The 8-hour time weighted average concentration ( CTWA ) of benzene was measured in the workplace using thermal desorption gas chromatography, and the urine 8-hydroxy-2' deoxyguanosine ( 8-OHdG ) levels were determined using high-performance liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The miR-155 and miR-223 expression was quantified in peripheral blood lymphocytes using quantitative fluorescent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay, and the factors affecting miR-155 and miR-223 expression were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results The subjects in the exposed group had a mean age of ( 31.17±7.30 ) years, and were exposed to low concentrations of benzene ( CTWA, 0.05 to 0.30 mg/m3 ) , while the subjects in the unexposed group had a mean age of ( 32.52±6.15 ) years. There were no significant differences between the exposed and unexposed groups in terms of age, BMI, proportion of smokers or proportion of alcohol consumers ( P>0.05 ). There was no significant difference in the median relative miR-155 expression between the exposed and unexposed groups ( 0.953 vs. 1.293, P>0.05 ), and lower median relative miR-223 expression was quantified in the exposed group than in the unexposed group ( 0.540 vs. 1.433, P<0.05 ). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that down-regulation of miR-223 expression correlated with exposure to benzene ( OR=2.719, 95%CI: 1.308-5.651 ). Conclusion Down-regulation of miR-223 expression may be associated with exposure to low concentrations of benzene.
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