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Increased Oxidative Stress Markers in Subjects Occupationally Exposed to Heavy Metals May Be Due to Poor Antioxidant Responses to Stressors

Received: 5 December 2019     Accepted: 12 December 2019     Published: 23 December 2019
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Abstract

Artisanal miners (AM) and farmers who use water from abandoned mines for irrigation (FA) are occupationally exposed to heavy metals. Understanding their antioxidant-responses to such stressors warrants investigation. The oxidative stress levels and antioxidant-responses in 45 test subjects (AM, 30; FA, 15) and 15 control subjects who live far away from any mine (CS) were investigated. Blood concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione s-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) of the 60 subjects were determined/assayed using standard methods. Appropriate statistical tests were used to analyze the data. MDA concentrations were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the AM and FA groups relative to the CS/control group. GSH concentrations, GPx and CAT activities were statistically similar (P > 0.05) in all groups. However, GST activity (µmol/min/ml) was significantly reduced in the AM (8.8 ± 1.0) and FA (8.7 ± 0.5) groups compared to the CS group (10.4 ± 2.3). The inability of subjects occupationally exposed to heavy metals to increase the activity of their antioxidant enzymes and the concentration of GSH may be responsible for the heightened lipid peroxidation found in them.

Published in American Journal of Biomedical and Life Sciences (Volume 7, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajbls.20190706.20
Page(s) 184-189
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Oxidative Stress, Heavy Metal Exposure, Urinary Phenol, Artisanal Miners, Stressors

References
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[13] A. K. Sinha, Colorimetric assay of catalase, Analytical biochemistry, 47 (1972) 389-394.
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[16] L. Uriah, Y. Ezekiel, O. Toochukwu, J. Jesse, Assessment of some heavy metals distribution and their possible human health risks: A case study of parts of Langtang south area, middle Benue trough, Nigeria, American Journal of Environmental Protection, 3 (2014) 54-65.
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    Okonkwo Francis Obiora, Benjamin Danladi, Bege Jonathan, Uzonu Ikenna Ugonna, John Barnabas Nvau, et al. (2019). Increased Oxidative Stress Markers in Subjects Occupationally Exposed to Heavy Metals May Be Due to Poor Antioxidant Responses to Stressors. American Journal of Biomedical and Life Sciences, 7(6), 184-189. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbls.20190706.20

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    ACS Style

    Okonkwo Francis Obiora; Benjamin Danladi; Bege Jonathan; Uzonu Ikenna Ugonna; John Barnabas Nvau, et al. Increased Oxidative Stress Markers in Subjects Occupationally Exposed to Heavy Metals May Be Due to Poor Antioxidant Responses to Stressors. Am. J. Biomed. Life Sci. 2019, 7(6), 184-189. doi: 10.11648/j.ajbls.20190706.20

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    AMA Style

    Okonkwo Francis Obiora, Benjamin Danladi, Bege Jonathan, Uzonu Ikenna Ugonna, John Barnabas Nvau, et al. Increased Oxidative Stress Markers in Subjects Occupationally Exposed to Heavy Metals May Be Due to Poor Antioxidant Responses to Stressors. Am J Biomed Life Sci. 2019;7(6):184-189. doi: 10.11648/j.ajbls.20190706.20

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajbls.20190706.20,
      author = {Okonkwo Francis Obiora and Benjamin Danladi and Bege Jonathan and Uzonu Ikenna Ugonna and John Barnabas Nvau and Chukwunonso ECC Ejike},
      title = {Increased Oxidative Stress Markers in Subjects Occupationally Exposed to Heavy Metals May Be Due to Poor Antioxidant Responses to Stressors},
      journal = {American Journal of Biomedical and Life Sciences},
      volume = {7},
      number = {6},
      pages = {184-189},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajbls.20190706.20},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbls.20190706.20},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajbls.20190706.20},
      abstract = {Artisanal miners (AM) and farmers who use water from abandoned mines for irrigation (FA) are occupationally exposed to heavy metals. Understanding their antioxidant-responses to such stressors warrants investigation. The oxidative stress levels and antioxidant-responses in 45 test subjects (AM, 30; FA, 15) and 15 control subjects who live far away from any mine (CS) were investigated. Blood concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione s-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) of the 60 subjects were determined/assayed using standard methods. Appropriate statistical tests were used to analyze the data. MDA concentrations were significantly higher (P P > 0.05) in all groups. However, GST activity (µmol/min/ml) was significantly reduced in the AM (8.8 ± 1.0) and FA (8.7 ± 0.5) groups compared to the CS group (10.4 ± 2.3). The inability of subjects occupationally exposed to heavy metals to increase the activity of their antioxidant enzymes and the concentration of GSH may be responsible for the heightened lipid peroxidation found in them.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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    T1  - Increased Oxidative Stress Markers in Subjects Occupationally Exposed to Heavy Metals May Be Due to Poor Antioxidant Responses to Stressors
    AU  - Okonkwo Francis Obiora
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    JF  - American Journal of Biomedical and Life Sciences
    JO  - American Journal of Biomedical and Life Sciences
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-880X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbls.20190706.20
    AB  - Artisanal miners (AM) and farmers who use water from abandoned mines for irrigation (FA) are occupationally exposed to heavy metals. Understanding their antioxidant-responses to such stressors warrants investigation. The oxidative stress levels and antioxidant-responses in 45 test subjects (AM, 30; FA, 15) and 15 control subjects who live far away from any mine (CS) were investigated. Blood concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione s-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) of the 60 subjects were determined/assayed using standard methods. Appropriate statistical tests were used to analyze the data. MDA concentrations were significantly higher (P P > 0.05) in all groups. However, GST activity (µmol/min/ml) was significantly reduced in the AM (8.8 ± 1.0) and FA (8.7 ± 0.5) groups compared to the CS group (10.4 ± 2.3). The inability of subjects occupationally exposed to heavy metals to increase the activity of their antioxidant enzymes and the concentration of GSH may be responsible for the heightened lipid peroxidation found in them.
    VL  - 7
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Author Information
  • Environmental & Occupational Toxicology Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Plateau State University, Bokkos, Nigeria

  • Environmental & Occupational Toxicology Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Plateau State University, Bokkos, Nigeria

  • Environmental & Occupational Toxicology Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Plateau State University, Bokkos, Nigeria

  • Environmental Management and Toxicology Department, College of Natural Resources & Environmental Management, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia, Nigeria

  • Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Plateau State University, Bokkos, Nigeria

  • Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Nigeria

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