Search

Human exposure to OPEs is pervasive and should be of great concern due to associations with adverse health effects, especially in susceptible populations. In this study, body burdens and exposure pathways of OPEs were investigated for 76 healthy elderly people in Jinan, China based on the measured OPE and metabolite concentrations in human bio-samples (whole blood and urine) and paired environmental matrices (air and dust), as well as food frequency questionnaire. Eight of 16 OPEs and 5 of 11 metabolites were detected in > 50% of whole blood and urine samples, respectively. Tri(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tri-phenyl phosphate (TPHP), and 2-ethylhexyl di-phenyl phosphate (EHDPP) were frequently detected and abundant in whole blood, while their corresponding metabolites were detected at low frequencies or levels in urine. The reduced metabolic and/or excretory capacity of elderly people may be an important reason, implying a higher health risk to them. Fourteen OPEs had over 50% detection frequencies in indoor air and dust, while 6 di-esters in indoor dust. Tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) in indoor dust and tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP) in indoor air were positively correlated with paired levels in blood but not with their metabolites (BEHP and DnBP) in urine. Combined with the direct intakes of BEHP and DBP from dust, blood is indicated as more suitable biomarker for TEHP and TnBP exposure. High consumption frequencies of several foods were associated with higher blood concentrations of three OPEs and urinary levels of four di-OPEs, indicating the importance of dietary exposure pathway. Estimated daily total intakes of OPEs via inhalation, dust ingestion, and dermal absorption ranged from 2.78 to 42.0 ng/kg bw/day, which were far less than the reference dosage values. Further studies were warranted to explore the potential health effects of OPE exposure in the elderly populations.

The ubiquity of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in various environmental matrices inevitably pose human exposure risks. Numerous studies have investigated human exposure pathways to OPEs, including air inhalation, dust ingestion, dermal contact, and dietary and drinking water intake, and have indicated that indoor dust and indoor air routes are frequently the two main human exposure pathways. This article reviews the literature on OPE contamination in indoor air and dust from various microenvironments and on OPE particle size distributions and bioavailability in dust conducted over the past 10 years. Ways in which sampling strategies are related to the uncertainty of exposure assessment results and comparability among different studies in terms of sampling tools, sampling sites, and sample types are addressed. Also, the associations of OPEs in indoor dust/air with human biological samples were summarized. Studies on two emerging matrices, hand wipes and silicone wristbands, are demonstrated to be more comprehensive and accurate in reflecting personal human exposure to OPEs in microenvironments and are summarized. Given the direct application of some diester OPEs (di-OPEs) in numerous products, research on their existence in indoor dust and food and on their effects on human urine are also discussed. Finally, related research trends and avenues for future research are prospected.

Ovarian cancer is a common cancer worldwide. Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common subtype of ovarian cancer. This study was designed to explore the function of miR-362-3p in EOC. QRT-PCR analysis was used to test miR-362-3p levels in EOC tissues and cell lines. Cell viability was tested via MTT assay. Transwell systems were applied to assay cell migration. The target gene of miR-362-3p was evaluated using dual luciferase reporter assays. The MyD88 protein in EOC cells was tested via western blot. Our data showed that miR-362-3p was expressed at low levels in EOC tissues and cells. miR-362-3p inhibited cell proliferation and migration, bound the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of MyD88, and inhibited MyD88 expression. MyD88 was inversely correlated with miR-362-3p in EOC, and MyD88 overexpression partly reduced the anti-proliferative effect of miR-362-3p in EOC cells. In conclusion, our data showed that miR-362-3p has an anti-proliferative effect on EOC.

Although organophosphate diester (di-OPE) metabolites in urine are usually used to assess human exposure to organophosphate esters (OPEs), whether they can reflect human exposure to all OPEs with great differences in chemical structures and properties is still currently unclear. In this study, we detected sixteen OPEs and ten di-OPEs in 52 paired whole blood, serum, and urine samples collected in Beijing, China to investigate the correlations between different compounds and matrices, thus providing proper biomarkers of human exposure to OPEs. The order of the median concentrations of ∑OPEs was whole blood (8.63 ng/mL) > serum (5.71 ng/mL) > urine (0.396 ng/mL), while those of ∑di-OPEs followed the order of urine (16.6 ng/mL) > whole blood (5.97 ng/mL) > serum (3.70 ng/mL). Ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP) and cresyl diphenyl phosphate (CDPP) were the dominant OPEs in both whole blood and serum samples and were significantly correlated between these two matrices. The distribution of OPEs in human blood was evaluated according to serum-to-whole blood concentration ratios (S:WB ratios). The median S:WB ratios of triethyl phosphate (TEP), tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), bisphenol-A bis(diphenyl phosphate) (BABP), EHDPP, and CDPP were lower than 1, indicating that these OPEs preferred to accumulated in blood cells rather than in serum/plasma. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (BEHP) was the major di-OPEs and was detected in almost all whole blood, serum and urine samples. The median whole blood: urine (WB:UR) ratios of di-OPEs were significantly and positively correlated with their logKow values, indicating that di-OPEs with low hydrophobicity were prone to excretion via urine. Based on the relationships between OPEs and di-OPEs in these matrices, the parent OPEs in whole blood can be recommended for use as alternative biomarkers of aryl-OPEs exposure in future human biomonitoring studies, in addition to metabolites in urine.