与调味剂相关的肺病是制造或使用调味剂的工人的潜在致残且有时致命的肺病。大约20年前,在暴露于黄油调味蒸气的微波爆米花工人中首次发现,与调味品相关的肺部疾病今天仍然是一个令人担忧的问题。在某些情况下,工人患上闭塞性细支气管炎,一种严重的固定气道疾病。据报道,受影响的工人在微波爆米花中,调味品,和咖啡生产工作场所。挥发性α-二羰基化合物,特别是二乙酰基(2,3-丁二酮)和2,3-戊二酮,与病因有关。已发表的关于二乙酰和2,3-戊二酮的研究记录了它们引起气道上皮坏死的能力,破坏生物分子,扰乱蛋白质稳态。随着大鼠的慢性暴露,它们产生类似闭塞性细支气管炎的气道纤维化。为了增加这些知识,我们最近评估了3-碳α-二羰基化合物的气道毒性,甲基乙二醛。甲基乙二醛吸入引起上皮坏死的浓度甚至低于二乙酰。此外,我们研究了双乙酰混合物的气道毒性,丙酮,和乙酸,黄油调味剂中常见的挥发物。在与工作场所场景相当的比率下,混合物或单独的二乙酰,但不是乙酸或丙酮,导致气道上皮坏死。这些新发现增加了现有数据,暗示α-二羰基化合物在气道损伤和调味剂相关的肺部疾病中。
Flavorings-related lung disease is a potentially disabling and sometimes fatal lung disease of workers making or using flavorings. First identified almost 20 years ago in microwave popcorn workers exposed to butter-flavoring vapors, flavorings-related lung disease remains a concern today. In some cases, workers develop bronchiolitis obliterans, a severe form of fixed airways disease. Affected workers have been reported in microwave popcorn, flavorings, and coffee production workplaces. Volatile α-dicarbonyl compounds, particularly diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) and 2,3-pentanedione, are implicated in the etiology. Published studies on diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione document their ability to cause airway epithelial necrosis, damage biological molecules, and perturb protein homeostasis. With chronic exposure in rats, they produce airway fibrosis resembling bronchiolitis obliterans. To add to this knowledge, we recently evaluated airway toxicity of the 3-carbon α-dicarbonyl compound, methylglyoxal. Methylglyoxal inhalation causes epithelial necrosis at even lower concentrations than diacetyl. In addition, we investigated airway toxicity of mixtures of diacetyl, acetoin, and acetic acid, common volatiles in butter flavoring. At ratios comparable to workplace scenarios, the mixtures or diacetyl alone, but not acetic acid or acetoin, cause airway epithelial necrosis. These new findings add to existing data to implicate α-dicarbonyl compounds in airway injury and flavorings-related lung disease.