Polychlorinated biphenyls and depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation of a dopamine-related Neurochemical path in the German HELPcB surveillance program

Environmental Health

Research

Bruno Fimm¹  Thomas Kraus²  Petra Maria Gaum²  Jessica Lang²  Thomas Schettgen²  Franziska Maria Putschögl³  Monika Gube⁴ 

[1] Clinic for Neurology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany;Institute for Occupational Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany;Institute for Occupational Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany;Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, J 5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany;Institute for Occupational Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany;Health Office of the city and area of Aachen, Trierer Straße 1, 52070, Aachen, Germany;

关键词: Polychlorinated biphenyls;    Neurotoxicity;    Neurotransmitter metabolites;    Dopamine;    Homovanillic acid;    Vanillylmandelic acid;    Depressive symptoms;    Humans;    Adults;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12940-017-0316-3

 received in 2017-05-09, accepted in 2017-10-02,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundExposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is associated with depressive symptomatology. A cause of depressive symptoms is a disturbance in the neurotransmitter system of dopamine (DA). Animal as well as human studies report that PCBs can influence the DA system. This study examined whether PCB-related depressive symptoms are affected by DA metabolites in humans with high PCB body burden.MethodsThis study is part of the German HELPcB surveillance program (Health Effects in high Level exposure to PCB) for occupationally exposed workers and their relatives. Data was collected from 178 participants on two measurement time points (t1 and t2) with a one-year time lag in between the two time points. PCBs were analyzed in plasma via human biomonitoring and a validated questionnaire was used to identify existence and severity of depressive symptoms. As a surrogate for DA, we measured its metabolites homovanillic acid (HVA) and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) in urine. Mediation analyses were performed to test whether the association between PCB exposure and severity of depressive symptoms is mediated by urinary concentration of DA metabolites HVA and VMA. The mediation was tested with the SPSS macro MEDIATE.ResultsWe found a significant mediation over time for lower-chlorinated, higher-chlorinated and dioxin-like PCBs. The positive association between PCB exposure with severity of depressive symptoms was mediated by the main DA metabolite HVA. At t1 a higher exposure with PCBs was associated with lower concentration in urinary HVA. A reduced HVA concentration at t1 was correlated with increased depressive symptoms severity at t2. No meditations were found for VMA.ConclusionsThis work indicates that the association of PCB exposure and an increase of depressive symptoms after one year is mediated by the DA metabolite HVA as a surrogate for DA. These are first steps towards finding an explanation for an underlying neurochemical pathomechanism of PCB-related depressive symptomatology.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017