Occupational second-hand smoke exposure: A comparative shotgun proteomics study on nasal epithelia from healthy restaurant workers

Sofia Neves; Solange Pacheco; Fátima Vaz; Peter James; Tânia Simões; Deborah Penque

doi:10.1016/j.etap.2024.104459

Occupational second-hand smoke exposure: A comparative shotgun proteomics study on nasal epithelia from healthy restaurant workers

Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2024 Apr 27:108:104459. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2024.104459. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Sofia Neves¹, Solange Pacheco², Fátima Vaz³, Peter James⁴, Tânia Simões⁵, Deborah Penque³

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Proteomics, Human Genetics Department, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, INSA I.P, Lisbon, Portugal; Center for Toxicogenomics and Human Health, ToxOmics, NOVA Medical School-FCM, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: sofia.neves@insa.min-saude.pt.
² Laboratory of Proteomics, Human Genetics Department, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, INSA I.P, Lisbon, Portugal.
³ Laboratory of Proteomics, Human Genetics Department, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, INSA I.P, Lisbon, Portugal; Center for Toxicogenomics and Human Health, ToxOmics, NOVA Medical School-FCM, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal.
⁴ Protein Technology Laboratory, Department of Immunotechnology, Lund University, Sweden.
⁵ CECAD Cologne-Excellence in Aging Research University of Cologne, Germany.

PMID: 38685369
DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2024.104459

Abstract

Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) present risk of developing tobacco smoke-associated pathologies. To investigate the airway molecular response to SHS exposure that could be used in health risk assessment, comparative shotgun proteomics was performed on nasal epithelium from a group of healthy restaurant workers, non-smokers (never and former) exposed and not exposed to SHS in the workplace. HIF1α-glycolytic targets (GAPDH, TPI) and proteins related to xenobiotic metabolism, cell proliferation and differentiation leading to cancer (ADH1C, TUBB4B, EEF2) showed significant modulation in non-smokers exposed. In never smokers exposed, enrichment of glutathione metabolism pathway and EEF2-regulating protein synthesis in genotoxic response were increased, while in former smokers exposed, proteins (LYZ, ATP1A1, SERPINB3) associated with tissue damage/regeneration, apoptosis inhibition and inflammation that may lead to asthma, COPD or cancer, were upregulated. The identified proteins are potential response and susceptibility/risk biomarkers for SHS exposure.

Keywords: Cigarette smoke; Mass Spectrometry; Nasal epithelium; Protein network; Proteomics; Second-Hand Smoke.