Association of Polycyclic aromathic hydrocarbons in Pm2.5 with Leukocyte telomere length among adult population living in high and low traffic volume areas in Malaysia

Introduction: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a mixture of organic compounds released into the atmosphere as gases or particles during the incomplete combustion of organic material. PAHs have two subgroups: the toxic low-molecular-weight PAHs (LMW-PAHs) and the carcinogenic high-molecular-weight PAHs (HMW-PAHs). In Malaysia, the most important source of PAHs in particulate matter of 2.5 µm (PM2.5-bound PAHs) is expected to be vehicular emissions since motor vehicles contribute most of the air pollutants in Malaysia. According to recent studies, telomere length shortens with traffic-related air pollution in healthy adults. However, the association between traffic-related PAHs and telomere length among the adult population in Malaysia has never been studied. Objective: To determine the PM2.5- bound PAHs in air, serum concentration of PAHs, leukocyte telomere length (LTL), and their correlations among the adult population living in the highest (HTV) and the lowest traffic volume (LTV) areas in Malaysia. Methodology: This study was conducted in two sites: Kondo Rakyat, Kuala Lumpur (KL) (HTV) and Kampung Sungai Lui, Hulu Langat (HL) (LTV), with 101 adult participants from each site. Screening and main questionnaires were distributed to the participants. The screening questionnaire determined study eligibility, and the main questionnaire was given to eligible respondents. PM2.5 samples were collected on March and April 2021 using a high-volume air sampler and analysed by gas-chromatograph-mass-spectrometer (GC-MS). The concentrations of 16 PAHs in serum samples of 202 subjects living in both sites were measured using GC-MS, while their leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was measured using qPCR. The statistical analysis was conducted utilizing IBM SPSS version 28, in accordance with the objectives and their hypotheses. Result: The PM2.5- bound PAHs of ≥ 4-rings and HMW-PAHs were more prevalent than PM2.5-bound PAHs of <4-rings and LMW-PAHs in both areas. The PM2.5-bound PAHs mean concentrations of individual PAH, LMW-PAHs, HMW-PAHs, and total PAHs were substantially higher in KL regions (2.63, 3.22, 5.85 ng m-3 ) than in HL regions (0.27, 0.28, and 0.55 ng m-3 ) (p<0.001), respectively. Moreover, the serum PAHs of ≥ 4-rings and HMW-PAHs were more prevalent than those of <4-rings and LMW-PAHs in both groups. The serum concentrations of individual PAH, LMW-PAHs, HMW-PAHs, and total PAHs were significantly greater in the KL group (8.08, 46.36, 54.44 ng g-1 lipid) than in the HL group (5.34, 20.26, 25.61 ng g-1 lipid) (p<0.001), respectively. Additionally, the subjects of the KL group had significantly shorter LTL (0.77) than those of the HL group (1.09) (p<0.001). LTL has significant relationships with PM2.5- bound PAHs and serum PAHs. The PM2.5-bound PAHs have a significant positive relationship with serum PAHs. However, the PM2.5-bound PAHs have a significant negative relationship with LTL. Conclusion: The findings suggested that high traffic volume and the resulting high vehicle emissions were the primary explanations for the PAHs results in KL, while low traffic volume and the resulting low vehicle emissions were the primary explanations for the PAHs results in HL. The PM2.5-bound PAHs had a significant negative relationship with the LTL of all participants, which could be the main reason behind the reduction in LTL.

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