Biomarker as a Research Tool in Linking Exposure to Air Particles and Respiratory Health

Table 1

Studies on exposure to air particles by using biomarkers.

Air particles	Biomarkers studied	Findings	Subjects	Health effects	Authors
PM2.5	8-OHdG, IL-8, and CC16	Personal exposure to PM2.5 leads to oxidative DNA damage	18- to 58-year-old (mean is 45.2) healthy nonsmoker residents	An increased lung damage and cancer risk	[11]
PM10 and PM2.5	TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12p40, and IL-10	PM2.5 alters the balance between proinflammatory TNF-α and anti-inflammatory IL-10 production	18-year-old healthy adolescents from a highly industrialized city, a moderately industrialized city, and a rural town	Aberrant and dysregulation of immune status	[12]
PM10 and PM2.5	IL-6	PM10 and PM2.5 increase expression and secretion of IL-6	8- and 10-year-old urban school children versus rural school children	Cough, phlegm, wheezing, and chest tightness	[13]
PM10 and PM2.5	FRAC, TBARS, CRP, ICAM-1, LTB4, CC16, ECP, and IL-8	Long-term personal exposure to emissions from photocopiers is associated with inflammation and high oxidative stress	20- to 60-year-old (mean is 32.6) photocopier operators versus 20- to 60-year-old (mean is 31.7) healthy controls	Nose irritation, throat pain, nasal blockage, cough, excessive sputum production, wheezing, allergies, and breathing troubles	[14]
PM10, PM2.5, and UFP	IL-6 and TNF-α	Personal exposure to PM10, PM2.5, and UFP increases concentration of IL-6, whereas personal exposure to PM2.5 and UFP contributes to elevated concentration of TNF-α	20- to 55-year-old (mean is 38.3) bus drivers versus 20- to 55-year-old (mean is 36.64) administrative staffs	High risk in getting respiratory and lung diseases	[15]
PM2.5 and UFP	eNO, pH of EBC, TBARS, IL-8, and MPO	Short-term exposure to PM2.5 and UFP increases oxidative stress burdens in asthmatic patients	18- to 55-year-old nonsmokers with mild asthma (mean is 30.5) or moderate asthma (mean is 34.4)	Shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, and cough	[16]
PM2.5	8-oxodG	Personal exposure to PM2.5 at modest levelsinduces oxidative DNA damage	20- to 33-year-old (median is 24) nonsmoker students	An increased risk of lung cancer	[17]

8-OHdG: 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine, IL: interleukin, CC16: Clara cell protein, TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α, FRAC: ferric reducing antioxidant capacity, TBARS: thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, CRP: C-reactive protein, ICAM-1: intercellular adhesion molecule 1, LTB₄: leukotriene B₄, ECP: eosinophil cationic protein, eNO: exhaled nitric oxide, EBC: exhaled breath condensate, MPO: myeloperoxidase, and 8-oxodG: 7-hydro-8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine.