Key result
Interquartile range increases in total urinary PAH metabolites were associated with a 42.85% increase in C-reactive protein, which in turn was associated with significant decreases in heart rate variability.
Why the study?
Does exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons reduce heart rate variability via changes in plasma cytokines in coke-oven workers?
Cross-Sectional (n=489)
No
Does exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons reduce heart rate variability via changes in plasma cytokines in coke-oven workers?
Occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is associated with altered plasma cytokine profiles (decreased BDNF, increased ALCAM and CRP), which in turn correlate with decreased heart rate variability, suggesting a potential inflammatory mechanism for PAH-induced cardiac autonomic dysfunction.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May implicate cytokines in PAH-HRV links; leaves open causal roles and should not yet change practice.
Epidemiological studies have suggested associations between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heart rate variability (HRV). However, the roles of plasma cytokines in these associations are limited. In discovery stage of this study, we used Human Cytokine Antibody Arrays to examine differences in the concentrations of 280 plasma cytokines between 8 coke-oven workers and 16 community residents. We identified 19 cytokines with significant different expression (fold change ≥2 or ≤-2, and q-value <5%) between exposed workers and controls. 4 cytokines were selected to validate in 489 coke-oven workers by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in validation stage. We found OH-PAHs were inversely associated with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (p < 0.05), and interquartile range (IQR) increases in OH-PAHs were associated with >16% BDNF decreases. Additionally, OH-PAHs were positively associated with activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (p < 0.05), and IQR increases in OH-PAHs were associated with >20% increases in CRP. We also found significant associations between these cytokines and HRV (p < 0.05), and IQR increases in BDNF and CRP were associated with >8% decreases in HRV. Our results indicated PAH exposure was associated with plasma cytokines, and higher cytokines were associated with decreased HRV, but additional human and potential mechanistic studies are needed.
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Yang et al. (2016) conducted a cross-sectional in Occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (n=489). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure vs. Lower PAH exposure was evaluated on Change in CRP concentration per IQR increase in Σ OH-PAHs (42.85% increase, 95% CI 19.28% to 71.06%, p=<0.001). Interquartile range increases in total urinary PAH metabolites were associated with a 42.85% increase in C-reactive protein, which in turn was associated with significant decreases in heart rate variability.
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