Isotope Science / Alfa Chemistry

A Guide to Stable Isotope Standards for Exposure Analysis

What is exposomes? How are stable isotopes used in exposomes?Tobacco-Related CompoundsPhthalates and Phthalate-Replacement ProductsPolycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PACs)Phenolic CompoundsBisphenolsPesticides and Pesticide MetabolitesDioxins and FuransPolychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)Flame Retardants and MetabolitesBenefits of Alfa Chemistry's Isotopes

What is exposomes? How are stable isotopes used in exposomes?

Health is an eternal topic for mankind, and researchers in different fields have made unremitting efforts to try to reveal the causes of human diseases. Studies have shown that genetic factors alone can only explain a small part of the causes of human diseases (about 5-15%), while environmental factors and their interactions with genetic factors dominate the formation of typical chronic diseases in humans. Therefore, Alfa Chemistry has and will continue to develop high-quality isotope standards for exposomes to help understand the impact of the exposome on evaluating environmental factors on human health and disease.

Stable isotope standards (SISs) are extremely valuable tools in exposome studies. They are used to accurately measure the uptake and elimination of various chemicals and pollutants in biological matrices. Contributions of stable isotope standards to exposome studies include:

  • Quantification
  • Tracing Sources
  • Understanding Metabolism
  • Long-term Monitoring

Fig 1. Exposomes in human health risk assessment.Fig 1. From traditional exposome research to critical window period exposome research. [1]

Tobacco-Related Compounds

Smoke from tobacco is made up of many toxic chemicals - nicotine, cotinine, and menthol, etc. SISs were used to quantify the amount of tobacco smoke exposure by looking for biomarkers in biological fluids. Such standards are useful to explain the matrix effect and thereby to make the analyses sensitive and more precise.

  • Isotope-tagged tobacco compounds can be repurposed for:
  • Monitor how nicotine and other toxins are being processed and circulating in the body.
  • Learn the effects of secondhand smoke exposure.
  • Create better nicotine cessation interventions.

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Phthalates and Phthalate-Replacement Products

Phthalates are chemicals that are plasticizers in toys, packaging, and personal care items. There has been concern about phthalates' health effects since they are classed as endocrine disruptors (hormonal disruption). SISs have been used to measure phthalate exposures and replacements (e.g., di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) and diisononyl phthalate (DINP). By using labeled phthalates as internal standards, researchers can accurately quantify these compounds in biological samples.

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Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PACs)

PACs are organic molecules that are created in incomplete combustion of, for example, vehicle exhaust, industrial processes, and cooking. A great many PACs are persistent in the environment and can form in the soil, water, and life. The environmental impacts and toxicity of their persistence and bioaccumulation are concerns.

Some PACs are known or suspected carcinogens (which means that they can lead to cancer in humans). So, for example, benzo[a]pyrene is often investigated as mutagenic and carcinogenic. PACs can be a matter of inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact.

The metabolises in the body of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are mostly epoxides. SISs have also been used to measure PAC exposure using their metabolites in urine.

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Phenolic Compounds

Phenolic chemicals are an extended class of chemicals widely found in industrial and household products. SISs have been used to quantify exposure to phenolic chemicals, including halogenated benzene, phenol, paraben, and triclosan, in human biomonitoring researches.

It's important to mention that parabens are a chemical class that is often used as preservative in beauty and personal care products. Consumers and manufacturers increasingly worry about the estrogenic effects of parabens and their metabolites, and they are looking for paraben-free products. Thus, we can use SISs to quantify paraben exposure in human biomonitoring studies.

When samples are mixed with labeled phenolic compounds from Alfa Chemistry, researchers can make the analysis more precise and accurate.

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Bisphenols

Bisphenols are a class of chemicals used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. SISs have been used to assess human exposure to bisphenols, especially bisphenol A (BPA), which mimics estrogenic and interferes with endocrine function. Thus, in most countries and regions bisphenols have been limited or eliminated from products – particularly those for children and foods that are consumed with food. Alfa Chemistry supplies many different types of isotopically labeled bisphenols to aid researchers in evaluating the safety and ecological effects of bisphenols and their replacements.

There are other bisphenols, too, like:

  • Bisphenol S (BPS) and Bisphenol F (BPF): These are advertised as safer than BPA but may also disrupt hormone level as well.
  • Bisphenol E (BPE) and Bisphenol Z (BPZ): They are less widespread, but still being researched for the potential health effects.

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Pesticides and Pesticide Metabolites

Pesticides are widely used in agriculture and other industries to control pests and diseases. SISs have been employed to assess exposure to pesticides and their metabolites in human populations.

Alfa Chemistry has a wide range of stable isotope labeled pesticides and their metabolite standards, such as glyphosate, glufosinate, dicamba, AMPA, acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, sulfoxaflor, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam, etc. These standards help to correct for matrix effects and improve the accuracy of exposure assessments.

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Dioxins and Furans

Dioxins and furans are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are formed as by-products of industrial processes and waste incineration. SISs have been used to quantify exposure to dioxins and furans in human biomonitoring studies. It is important to note that dioxins and furans are persistent in the environment and can accumulate in the food chain, particularly in fatty tissues of animals. Therefore, consuming contaminated food, such as meat, fish, and dairy products, is a major source of human exposure to these chemicals. SISs have been used to quantify exposure to dioxins and furans in human biomonitoring studies.

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Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

PCBs are man-made organic chemicals made up of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine atoms. They were widespread in industrial and household products until their illegality in most countries in the 1970s due to their damaging health effects. PCBs are persistent pollutants, so they disintegrate very slowly. They can get stuck in the food chain and threaten human and animal health and welfare.

PCBs, though now no longer manufactured, remain traces in the environment, in recycled products and contaminated sites. So, Alfa Chemistry is committed to the manufacture of quality stable isotope labeled PCBs that can cover all the requirements of environmental, food, water and exposure analysis researchers.

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Flame Retardants and Metabolites

Flame retardants are chemicals that are added to a product in order to keep it from burning. Even if they are necessary for protection from fire, some flame retardants have been condemned as harmful to health and the environment. Various flame retardants, all of which may present potential risks, exist: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), tetrabromobisphenol A, and phosphate flame retardants (PFRs). Isotope-labelled flame retardants and their metabolites available from Alfa Chemistry can be studied for exposure, metabolism, bioaccumulation and biomagnification.

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Benefits of Alfa Chemistry's Isotopes

  • Large Variety of Compounds: We have a wide variety of stable isotope standards for all the environmental and chemical contaminants we work with in exposome research.
  • Purity and Precision: Our stable isotope standards are produced to the highest standards for precise, reproducible results.
  • Personalized Synthesis: Individual synthesis service according to the research requirement.
  • Technical Assistance: Our world-class technical support to help scientists choose the right stable isotope standards and make the best use of their analyses.

Reference

  • Mingliang Fang, et al. The Innovation, 2021, 2(4), 100172.
Please kindly note that our products and services are for research use only.
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