Plasma PAH-like AhR Bioactivity, Homocysteine, and Subclinical Vascular and Haematologic Phenotypes in the SPES Biomonitoring Substudy
- 1Department of Public Health, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
- 2Department of Human Sciences and Quality of Life Promotion, San Raffaele University, 00166 Rome, Italy
Abstract
Receptor-based bioassays measure mixture activity whose relationship with human physiology requires empirical assessment. We examined plasma polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-like aryl hydrocarbon receptor bioactivity in the selected cross-sectional SPES biomonitoring substudy in Campania, Italy. Out of 598 assay records, 591 had quantified PAH-CALUX results and 7 were below individual limits of quantification (LOQs). Primary models related log2 lipid-normalised benzo[a]pyrene-equivalent bioactivity to homocysteine and recorded seated systolic blood pressure (SBP), adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, current smoking, and sampling cluster fixed effects, with municipality-clustered inference. Holm correction covered the two primary tests; Benjamini–Hochberg correction covered two secondary families. Participants comprised 295 women and 296 men aged 20–50 years from 63 municipalities. Per exposure doubling, homocysteine differed by −0.12% (95% confidence interval [CI], −0.76% to 0.52%; Holm-adjusted p = 0.699) and SBP by −0.37 mmHg (95% CI, −0.80 to 0.06; Holm-adjusted p = 0.183). None of the eighteen secondary outcomes met the within-family false discovery rate threshold. Additional post hoc Akins lipid normalisation and three below-LOQ substitution analyses yielded similar interpretations. These findings describe small estimated contemporaneous associations in a selected population. Uncertainty remains concerning cumulative exposure, temporal variability, and generalisability; equivalence and environmental safety cannot be inferred.
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BibTeX
@article{cerino2026plasma,
title = {{Plasma PAH-like AhR Bioactivity, Homocysteine, and Subclinical Vascular and Haematologic Phenotypes in the SPES Biomonitoring Substudy}},
author = {Pellegrino Cerino and Elvira De Rosa and Maria Triassi and Paolo Montuori and Carlo Buonerba},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27219679},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9679},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Plasma PAH-like AhR Bioactivity, Homocysteine, and Subclinical Vascular and Haematologic Phenotypes in the SPES Biomonitoring Substudy
AU - Pellegrino Cerino
AU - Elvira De Rosa
AU - Maria Triassi
AU - Paolo Montuori
AU - Carlo Buonerba
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27219679
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9679
AB - Receptor-based bioassays measure mixture activity whose relationship with human physiology requires empirical assessment. We examined plasma polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-like aryl hydrocarbon receptor bioactivity in the selected cross-sectional SPES biomonitoring substudy in Campania, Italy. Out of 598 assay records, 591 had quantified PAH-CALUX results and 7 were below individual limits of quantification (LOQs). Primary models related log2 lipid-normalised benzo[a]pyrene-equivalent bioactivity to homocysteine and recorded seated systolic blood pressure (SBP), adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, current smoking, and sampling cluster fixed effects, with municipality-clustered inference. Holm correction covered the two primary tests; Benjamini–Hochberg correction covered two secondary families. Participants comprised 295 women and 296 men aged 20–50 years from 63 municipalities. Per exposure doubling, homocysteine differed by −0.12% (95% confidence interval [CI], −0.76% to 0.52%; Holm-adjusted p = 0.699) and SBP by −0.37 mmHg (95% CI, −0.80 to 0.06; Holm-adjusted p = 0.183). None of the eighteen secondary outcomes met the within-family false discovery rate threshold. Additional post hoc Akins lipid normalisation and three below-LOQ substitution analyses yielded similar interpretations. These findings describe small estimated contemporaneous associations in a selected population. Uncertainty remains concerning cumulative exposure, temporal variability, and generalisability; equivalence and environmental safety cannot be inferred.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -