Relationships between DNA oxidative damage, testosterone, and body mass index in sulfur mustard-chemical veterans - 16/05/24

Doi : 10.1016/j.toxac.2023.10.002

Leila Nasiri ^a, Mohammad-Reza Vaez-Mahdavi ^a,^b,⁎ , Hossein Hassanpour ^c, Tooba Ghazanfari ^d, Sussan Kaboudanian Ardestani ^d,^e, Hossein Behboudi ^f
^a Department of Health Equity, Immunoregulation Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
^b Department of Physiology, Medical Faculty, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
^c Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
^d Immunoregulation Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
^e Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Biochemistry, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
^f Department of Biology, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

^*Corresponding author.

Summary

Background

Sulfur mustard (SM) as a chemical weapon was sometimes used in previous wars that had acute and chronic toxicity.

Methods

In the present study, two groups of volunteers were considered: firstly, the SM-exposed group, 56 male individuals, exposed to SM once in 1987 during the Iraq–Iran war; secondly, the non-exposed group, 15 healthy male individuals. The levels of oxidised DNA damage were evaluated due to SM exposure as a delayed effect, then the alterations and correlations of this damage and serum testosterone levels were assessed based on the body mass index (BMI) (normal, overweight, and obese) in the veterans.

Results

Testosterone level was significantly lower in the SM-exposed individuals than in the non-exposed ones, while the DNA damage was higher. DNA damage was also higher in obese SM-chemical veterans than in normal-BMI veterans, whereas serum testosterone level was diminished. Also, DNA damage was correlated with body mass index (positive) and testosterone level (negative) in the veterans. On the other hand, BMI was correlated with testosterone level (negative) in SM-chemical veterans.

Conclusion

Probably, both SM exposure and obesity cause oxidative stress and subsequent testosterone diminishment. Testosterone deficiency, in turn, progresses obesity and exacerbates oxidative stress at the positive feedback in SM-chemical veterans.

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Keywords : Sulfur mustard, Body mass index, Testosterone, Obesity, Chemical veteran