BACKGROUND Gasoline is a complex mixture of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, in which aromatic compounds, such as BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylene) feature as the main constituents. Simultaneous exposure to these aromatic hydrocarbons causes a significant impact on benzene toxicity. In order to detect early alterations caused in gasoline station attendants exposed to BTX compounds, immunological, inflammatory, and oxidative stress biomarkers were evaluated. METHODS A total of 66 male subjects participated in this study. The gasoline station attendants (GSA) group consisted of 38 gasoline station attendants from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The non-exposed group consisted of 28 subjects who were non-smokers and who had no history of occupational exposure. Environmental and biological monitoring of BTX exposure was performed using blood and urine. RESULTS The GSA group showed increased BTX concentrations in relation to the non-exposed group (p < 0.001). The GSA group showed elevated protein carbonyl (PCO) levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines, decreased expression of CD80 and CD86 in monocytes, and reduced glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity compared to the non-exposed group (p < 0.05). BTX levels and trans,trans-muconic acid levels were positively correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokines and negatively correlated with interleukin-10 contents (p < 0.001). Increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were accompanied by increased PCO contents and decreased GST activity (p < 0.001). Furthermore, according to the multiple linear regression analysis, benzene exposure was the only factor that significantly contributed to the increased pro-inflammatory cytokines (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these findings show the influence of exposure to BTX compounds, especially benzene, on the immunological, inflammatory, and oxidative stress biomarkers evaluated. Furthermore, the data suggest the relationship among the evaluated biomarkers of effect, which could contribute to providing early signs of damage to biomolecules in subjects occupationally exposed to BTX compounds.

中文翻译：

---

评估加油站服务员的免疫，炎性和氧化应激生物标志物。

背景技术汽油是饱和烃和不饱和烃的复杂混合物，其中芳香族化合物，例如BTX（苯，甲苯和二甲苯）为主要成分。同时接触这些芳烃会严重影响苯的毒性。为了检测暴露于BTX化合物的加油站服务员的早期变化，对免疫，炎症和氧化应激生物标志物进行了评估。方法共有66名男性受试者参加了这项研究。加油站服务员（GSA）组由来自巴西南里奥格兰德州的38名加油站服务员组成。未接触人群由28位非吸烟者和无职业接触史组成。使用血液和尿液对BTX暴露进行环境和生物学监测。结果GSA组显示BTX浓度相对于未暴露组升高（p <0.001）。与未暴露组相比，GSA组显示出蛋白质羰基（PCO）水平升高和促炎性细胞因子，单核细胞中CD80和CD86的表达降低以及谷胱甘肽S-转移酶（GST）活性降低（p <0.05）。BTX水平和反式，反式-粘康酸水平与促炎细胞因子呈正相关，与白介素10含量呈负相关（p <0.001）。促炎细胞因子水平的升高伴随着PCO含量的增加和GST活性的降低（p <0.001）。此外，根据多元线性回归分析，苯暴露是导致促炎细胞因子增加的唯一因素（p <0.05）。结论综上所述，这些发现表明暴露于BTX化合物（尤其是苯）对所评估的免疫，炎性和氧化应激生物标志物的影响。此外，数据表明所评估的作用生物标志物之间的关系，这可能有助于在职业性接触BTX化合物的受试者中提供对生物分子破坏的早期迹象。