Healthcare Workers Occupationally Exposed to Ionizing Radiation Exhibit Altered Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines and Redox Parameters. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Studies have shown an increased risk for a variety of cancers, specifically brain cancer, in healthcare workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation. Although the mechanisms mediating these phenomena are not fully understood, ionizing radiation-mediated elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative DNA damage, and immune modulation are likely involved. A group of 20 radiation exposed workers and 40 sex- and age-matched non-exposed control subjects were recruited for the study. We measured superoxide (O-) levels in whole blood of healthcare workers and all other measurements of cytokines, oxidative DNA damage, extracellular superoxide dismutase (EcSOD) activity and reduced/oxidized glutathione ratio (GSH/GSSG) in plasma. Levels of O- were significantly higher in radiation exposed workers compared to control. Similarly, a significant increase in the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1 in radiation exposed workers compared to control was observed, while there was no significance difference in the other 27 screened cytokines. A significant positive correlation was found between MIP-1 and O- levels with no correlation in either IL-6 or IL-1. Further, a dose-dependent relationship with significant O- production and immune alterations in radiation exposed workers was demonstrated. There was no statistical difference between the groups in terms of oxidative DNA damage, GSH/GSSG levels, or EcSOD activity. Although the biologic significance of cytokines alterations in radiation exposed workers is unclear, further studies are needed for determining the underlying mechanism of their elevation.

published proceedings

  • Antioxidants (Basel)

altmetric score

  • 1.85

author list (cited authors)

  • Ahmad, I. M., Abdalla, M. Y., Moore, T. A., Bartenhagen, L., Case, A. J., & Zimmerman, M. C.

citation count

  • 18

complete list of authors

  • Ahmad, Iman M||Abdalla, Maher Y||Moore, Tiffany A||Bartenhagen, Lisa||Case, Adam J||Zimmerman, Matthew C

publication date

  • January 2019

publisher