Urinary porphyrin profiles as biomarkers of occupational exposures to multiple metals

DOI: 10.5584/jiomics.v8i1.216

Authors

  • Ana Paula Marreilha dos Santos iMed.UL, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
  • Vanda Lopes Andrade iMed.UL, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
  • Maria Luisa Mateus iMed.UL, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
  • Michael Aschner Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA

Abstract

 

Chronic occupational exposures to low levels of metal mixtures necessitates biomonitoring of exposed workers.  However, a single biomarker is rarely sufficient to ascertain the exposure of an individual to a complex mixture, with multiparameter analysis of the same sample considered recently as a preferred approach. Porphyrins are formed as intermediates of heme biosynthesis and different metals can exert their effects at different points of this metabolic pathway, leading to changed urinary porphyrins excretion profiles. The aim of this work was to develop a model that could serve to identify, on an individual basis, multiple metal exposure resulting from mining work, by using urinary porphyrin profiles. Urine samples of workers were obtained from a Portuguese mining company and a non-occupationally exposed group was used as control. The levels of uro-, hepta-, hexa-, penta-, copro- and protoporphyrins were determined by HPLC. It was observed that only heptaporphyrin levels in miners were significantly (p

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Published

2018-07-01

Issue

Section

Preliminary Communications