Background: One of the suggested health outcomes of PCB exposure is childhood asthma.
Objectives: This study was conducted to find health relevant biomarkers providing the molecular epidemiological evidence for the positive relationship between exposure to PCBs and childhood asthma.
Methods: Blood samples from fifteen asthmatic children as well as an equal number of non-asthmatic children (average 2 year old) were collected, and were analyzed for PCBs and their select marker expression by using qRT-PCR.
Results: Among biomarkers examined IL-8 expression was significantly correlated to serum levels of PCB #163+164 (P=0.022), #170 (P=0.046), #177 (P=0.022), #178 (P=0.022) and #180+193 (P=0.046) in a dose-dependent manner, which was found only among asthmatic children. In contrast, COX-2 correlations to individual congener levels were recognized only among control subjects, not among asthmatic subjects.
Conclusion: Serum concentrations of PCB#163+164, #170, #177, #178 and #180+193 correlate significantly with IL-8 mRNA expressions among asthmatic children.
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