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Citation |
Hemström P, Larsson A, Elfsmark L, Åstot C. Anal. Chem. 2016; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2016, American Chemical Society) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
27673432 |
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Abstract |
Chlorine is a widely available toxic chemical that has been repeatedly used in armed conflict globally. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have on numerous occasions found "compelling confirmation" that chlorine gas has been used against civilians in northern Syria. However, currently, there are no analytical methods available to un-ambiguously prove chlorine gas exposure. In this study, we describe the screening for chlorinated biomolecules by the use of mass isotope ratio filters followed by the identification of two biomarkers present in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from chlorine gas exposed mice. The relevance of these markers for human exposure was verified by their presence in in-vitro chlorinated human BALF. The biomarkers were detectable for 72 hours after exposure and were absent in non-exposed control animals. Furthermore, the biomarkers were not detected in humans diagnosed with chronic respiratory dis-eases. The potential chlorine specific markers were all chlorohydrins of unsaturated pulmonary surfactant phospholipids, phosphatidylglycerols and phosphatidylcholines. Mass spectrometry fragmentation characteristics were favorable for the phosphatidylglycerol chlorohydrins and they were therefore proposed as the best biomarker candidates. Language: en |