Associations between urinary concentrations of benzothiazole, benzotriazole, and their derivatives and lung cancer: A nested case-control study

Weili Mao; Jianli Qu; Huimeng Liu; Ruyue Guo; Kaizhen Liao; Shaowei Wu; Jin Hangbiao; Zefu Hu

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118750

Associations between urinary concentrations of benzothiazole, benzotriazole, and their derivatives and lung cancer: A nested case-control study

Environ Res. 2024 Mar 22:118750. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118750. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Weili Mao¹, Jianli Qu², Huimeng Liu³, Ruyue Guo², Kaizhen Liao², Shaowei Wu³, Jin Hangbiao⁴, Zefu Hu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy, Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang, 324000, PR China.
² Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310032, PR China.
³ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, PR China; Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases in Ministry of Health, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, PR China; Key Laboratory for Disease Prevention and Control and Health Promotion of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, PR China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310032, PR China. Electronic address: hangbiao@zjut.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy, Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang, 324000, PR China. Electronic address: huzefu@wmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38522739
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118750

Abstract

Benzothiazole (BTH), benzotriazole (BTR), and their respective derivatives (BTHs and BTRs) are emerging environmental pollutants with widespread human exposure and oncogenic potential. Studies have demonstrated adverse effects of exposure to certain BTHs and BTRs on the respiratory system. However, no study has examined the associations between exposure to BTHs and BTRs and lung cancer risk. We aimed to examine the associations between urinary concentrations of BTHs and BTRs and the risk of lung cancer in the general population from Quzhou, China. We conducted a nested case-control study in an ongoing prospective Quzhou Environmental Exposure and Human Health (QEEHH) cohort, involving 20, 694 participants who provided urine samples during April 2019-July 2020. With monthly follow-up until November 2022, 212 lung cancer cases were recruited and 1:1 matched with healthy controls based on age and sex. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of lung cancer risk associated with urinary BTHs and BTRs concentrations using conditional logistic regression models after controlling for potential covariates. We also examined effect modification by several covariates, including sex, socioeconomic status, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and dietary habit. Creatinine-corrected urinary BTH and 2-hydroxy-benzothiazole (2-OH-BTH) levels were significantly associated with the risk of lung cancer, after adjusting for a variety of covariates. Participants in the highest quartile of BTH had a 95% higher risk of lung cancer, compared with those in the lowest quartile (adjusted OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.08-3.49; p for trend = 0.01). Participants with higher levels of urinary 2-OH-BTH had an 83% higher risk of lung cancer than those with lower levels (adjusted OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.16-2.88; p for trend = 0.01). Exposure to elevated levels of BTH and 2-OH-BTH may be associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. These associations were not modified by socio-demographic characteristics.

Keywords: 2-Hydroxy-benzothiazole; Benzothiazole; Benzotriazole; Human urine; Lung cancer.