Influence of genetic polymorphisms of CYP1A1 and GSTM1 on the urinary levels of 1-hydroxypyrene

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the influence of the genetic polymorphism of two enzymes involved in the biotransformation of xenobiotics, cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and glutathione-S-transferase M1 (GSTM1), on the urinary levels of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-P) in workers exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and in unexposed workers (controls). The study group consisted of 30 controls recruited among employees of a service company and 171 PAHs-exposed workers from two electric steel plants and an iron foundry (all males, ranging between 18 and 60 years of age). Determination of airborne PAHs and urinary 1-OH-P was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used to determine the genetic polymorphisms of CYP1A1 (CYP1A1*2A and CYP1A1*2B) and GSTM1. No influence of the genetic polymorphism of CYP1A1 and GSTM1 on the urinary levels of 1-OH-P was observed in this study.