近日，广东工业大学环境健康与污染控制研究院、环境科学与工程学院安太成教授团队与河南师范大学环境学院曹治国教授联合团队在金属与多环芳烃 (PAHs)暴露导致的尿液内源性代谢变化方面取得最新研究进展，研究成果以《Urinary metabolic alterations associated with occupational exposure to metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons based on non-target metabolomics》为题发表在Journal of Hazardous Material, 2025, 487: 137158期刊 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137158) 上。论文的第一作者为博士生陆平和博士后何汝坚，通讯作者为河南师范大学曹治国教授和安太成教授。该研究采用超高效液相色谱-四极杆飞行时间质谱，基于非靶标代谢组学技术识别出与金属和PAHs暴露相关的多种内源性代谢物及其相应的代谢通路。该研究结果从分子角度阐明了金属和PAHs暴露与人群不良健康结局之间的关联。

论文DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137158

据报道，长期的职业暴露于金属和有机物会对人体健康造成极大的危害。然而，目前关于金属和多环芳烃（PAHs）暴露与人群不良健康结局之间的分子机制研究较为有限。本研究采用超高效液相色谱-四极杆飞行时间质谱对有色金属冶炼工人、工厂周边居民和对照区居民三类人群的尿液样本分别进行了非靶标代谢组学分析。通过显著性分析和相关性分析发现：与对照组相比，在冶炼工人人群中，共有22种差异代谢物与金属和PAHs暴露相关（p < 0.05）。其中，氨基酸代谢受到强烈干扰，同时发现类固醇激素生物合成、柠檬酸循环、泛酸和辅酶A生物合成等代谢通路亦受到影响。值得注意的是，类固醇激素生物合成通路的紊乱主要受PAHs暴露，尤其是羟基菲的影响 （p < 0.05）。这些受干扰的代谢通路与氧化应激、炎症和能量代谢紊乱密切相关。此外，研究结果表明周边居民的内源性代谢也在一定程度上受到有色金属冶炼活动的影响。该项工作从代谢组学的角度为金属和PAHs复合暴露引发的不良健康效应提供了重要的见解。

图文摘要：

论文的英文摘要附如下：

ABSTRACT:

Long-term occupational exposure to metals and organics have been reported to be under great health risks. However, limited data are available on the molecular mechanism between combined exposure to metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and harmful health effects. In present work, non-target metabolomics study was conducted based on urine samples from nonferrous metal smelting workers (n=207), surrounding residents (n=180), and the control residents (n=187) by using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). Differential and correlation analyses among metabolic features indicate that total 22 differential metabolites in smelting workers were associated (p < 0.05) with metal and PAH exposure. Particularly, amino acid metabolism was strongly disturbed, and other metabolic pathways, including steroid hormone biosynthesis, citrate cycle, and pantothenate and coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis were also perturbed. Among them, steroid hormone biosynthesis was more affected by PAH exposure than metals, especially for hydroxyphenanthrene.These altered pathways were closely associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, and energy metabolism disorder. Additionally, our results indicate that endogenous metabolism in surrounding residents were also affected by nonferrous metal smelting activities to some extent. Our work provides valuable insights into molecular mechanisms of adverse health effects probably induced by combined exposure to metals and PAHs.

项目致谢：本研究得到国家重点研发重点专项项目(2019YFC1804503)、国家自然科学基金(42122057、41977308 和42307477)、河南省中原人才计划（ZYYCYU202012168）和广东省重点研发计划（2022-GDUT-A0007）的联合支持。