Oxidative stress status and industrial discharges

Abstract Industrialization has traditionally occurred at the expense of natural resources and the environment. Air, water, and soil pollution are of concern due to their effects on human health, as they not only affect the most sensitive and susceptible individuals, but everyone. The most widely distributed pollutants are found in urban and industrial areas, although in the latter, they are more concentrated; volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls are some of the most ubiquitous families of industrial pollutants, not to mention, metals, pharmacological drugs, and pesticides. Exposure occurs via respiratory, and to a lesser extent, through dermal and oral routes. We examined several studies undertaken to determine the oxidative status in people exposed to industrial pollutants in order to elucidate possible mechanisms that lead to cell damage possibly related with chronic nontransmissible diseases. These mechanisms have to do with the biotransformation of chemicals by monooxygenases of the P450 superfamily and with the activation of important intracellular receptor and transcription factors, like the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and the nuclear factor kappa-beta (NfkB). Activation of P450 enzymes, particularly CYP2E1, increases intracellular ROS and oxidative metabolites that greatly contribute to an oxidative state of the cell, damaging macromolecules and generating loss of cell function and mutation, which are early effects in disease development. Chronic exposure, even at low doses, paired with the presence of multiple pollutants make it necessary to reexamine the levels of contaminants considered in environmental regulations around the world.