Evaluation of oxidative stress biomarkers and liver enzyme activity in workers occupationally exposed to respirable free crystalline silica

Ali Poormohammadi; Elaheh Talebi Ghane; Effat Sadat  Mir Moeini; Saeed Bashirian; Seyedmousa Motavallihaghi; Fereshteh Mehri

doi:10.18502/japh.v8i1.12031

Ali Poormohammadi Center of Excellence for Occupational Health, Research Center for Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
Elaheh Talebi Ghane Modeling of Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
Effat Sadat Mir Moeini Center of Excellence for Occupational Health, Research Center for Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
Saeed Bashirian Research Center for Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
Seyedmousa Motavallihaghi Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
Fereshteh Mehri Nutrition Health Research Center, Center of Excellence for Occupational Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/japh.v8i1.12031

Keywords: Crystalline silica; Oxidative stress; Serum; Liver

Abstract

Introduction: In various mining activities, workers are exposed to free Crystalline Silica (CS), which can cause the constant production of reactive oxygen species and silicosis. This research was conducted to evaluate oxidative stress biomarkers and liver tissue function in workers occupationally exposed to CS during their activities.

Materials and methods: In this study, the biomarkers of oxidative stress were evaluated in 40 workers in silica mines of Azandarian region (Hamadan province, Iran) with occupational exposure to CS, as the case group and 40 workers without any silica-exposure as controls.

Results: A significant higher serum levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Alanine Transaminase (ALT) were observed in the silica-exposed group compared to the controls. Moreover, in the serum of the silica-exposed cases, the total antioxidant capacity was lower than that of the control group. Based on findings chronic exposure to CS can obviously affect the serum levels of oxidative stress biomarker and liver tissue function in the exposed workers.

Conclusion: Therefore, the use of suitable face mask and different dietary antioxidants are recommended in the silica-exposed workers for the reduction of oxidative stress production and prevention of liver tissue disorders.