Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 May;416(12):2913-2928.
doi: 10.1007/s00216-024-05233-9. Epub 2024 Mar 9.

A sensitive GC-MS/MS method for the quantification of benzo[a]pyrene tetrol in urine

Fabian Pilz  1 , Antonia Gärtner  1 , Nikola Pluym  1 , Gerhard Scherer  1 , Max Scherer  2
Affiliations

A sensitive GC-MS/MS method for the quantification of benzo[a]pyrene tetrol in urine

Fabian Pilz et al. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2024 May.

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous pollutants formed during the incomplete combustion of organic matter such as tobacco. Among these, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) has been classified as a known carcinogen to humans. It unfolds its effect through metabolic activation to BaP-(7R,8S)-diol-(9S,10R)-epoxide (BPDE), the ultimate carcinogen of BaP. In this article, we describe a simple and highly sensitive GC-NICI-MS/MS method for the quantification of urinary BaP-(7R,8S,9R,10S)-tetrol (( +)-BPT I-1), the hydrolysis product of BPDE. The method was validated and showed excellent results in terms of accuracy, precision, and sensitivity (lower limit of quantification (LLOQ): 50 pg/L). In urine samples derived from users of tobacco/nicotine products and non-users, only consumption of combustible cigarettes was associated with a significant increase in BPT I-1 concentrations (0.023 ± 0.016 nmol/mol creatinine, p < 0.001). Levels of users of potentially reduced-risk products as well as non-users were all below the LLOQ. In addition, the urine levels of six occupationally exposed workers were analyzed and showed the highest overall concentrations of BPT I-1 (844.2 ± 336.7 pg/L). Moreover, comparison with concentrations of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (3-OH-BaP), the major detoxification product of BaP oxidation, revealed higher levels of 3-OH-BaP than BPT I-1 in almost all study subjects. Despite the lower levels, BPT I-1 can provide more relevant information on an individual's cancers susceptibility since BPDE is generated by the metabolic activation of BaP. In conclusion, BPT I-1 is a suitable biomarker to distinguish not only cigarette smokers from non-smokers but also from users of potentially reduced-risk products.

Keywords: Benzo[a]pyrene; GC–MS/MS; Human biomonitoring; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Potentially reduced-risk products; Urine.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Some non-heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and some related exposures. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risks Hum. 2010;92:1–853.
    1. Simoneit BRT. Biomass burning — a review of organic tracers for smoke from incomplete combustion. Appl Geochem. 2002;17(3):129–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0883-2927(01)00061-0 . - DOI
    1. Kamal A, Cincinelli A, Martellini T, Malik RN. A review of PAH exposure from the combustion of biomass fuel and their less surveyed effect on the blood parameters. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2015;22(6):4076–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3748-0 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Srogi K. Monitoring of environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: a review. Environ Chem Lett. 2007;5(4):169–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-007-0095-0 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Rodgman A, Perfetti TA. The composition of cigarette smoke: a catalogue of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Beitr Tab Int. 2006;22(1):13–69. https://doi.org/10.2478/cttr-2013-0817 . - DOI

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources