Biomonitoring of Exposure to Urban Pollutants and Oxidative Stress during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Rome Residents

Flavia Buonaurio; Francesca Borra; Daniela Pigini; Enrico Paci; Mariangela Spagnoli; Maria Luisa Astolfi; Ottavia Giampaoli; Fabio Sciubba; Alfredo Miccheli; Silvia Canepari; Carla Ancona; Giovanna Tranfo

doi:10.3390/toxics10050267

Biomonitoring of Exposure to Urban Pollutants and Oxidative Stress during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Rome Residents

Toxics. 2022 May 21;10(5):267. doi: 10.3390/toxics10050267.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
² Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, INAIL, Monte Porzio Catone, 00144 Rome, Italy.
³ Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
⁴ NMR-Based Metabolomics Laboratory (NMLab), Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, 00154 Rome, Italy.

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of traffic on human health comparing biomonitoring data measured during the COVID-19 lockdown, when restrictions led to a 40% reduction in airborne benzene in Rome and a 36% reduction in road traffic, to the same parameters measured in 2021.

Methods: Biomonitoring was performed on 49 volunteers, determining the urinary metabolites of the most abundant traffic pollutants, such as benzene and PAHs, and oxidative stress biomarkers by HPLC/MS-MS, 28 elements by ICP/MS and metabolic phenotypes by NMR.

Results: Means of s-phenylmercaputric acid (SPMA), metabolites of naphthalene and nitropyrene in 2020 are 20% lower than in 2021, while 1-OH-pyrene was 30% lower. A reduction of 40% for 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoGuo) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) and 60% for 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua) were found in 2020 compared to 2021. The concentrations of B, Co, Cu and Sb in 2021 are significantly higher than in the 2020. NMR untargeted metabolomic analysis identified 35 urinary metabolites. Results show in 2021 a decrease in succinic acid, a product of the Krebs cycle promoting inflammation.

Conclusions: Urban pollution due to traffic is partly responsible for oxidative stress of nucleic acids, but other factors also have a role, enhancing the importance of communication about a healthy lifestyle in the prevention of cancer diseases.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Rome; benzene; elements; lockdown; metabolomics; oxidative stress; urban traffic.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.