{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T04:48:57Z","timestamp":1785386937472,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":88,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,1]],"date-time":"2021-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1633046400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002913","name":"Vlaamse Overheid","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Flemish Center of Expertise on Environment and Health (FLEHS 2016-2020)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Flemish Center of Expertise on Environment and Health (FLEHS 2016-2020)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002913","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Toxics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental pollutants of public health concern. Multiple biological mechanisms have been hypothesized to contribute to PAHs-associated adverse health effects. Little is known about the impact of PAHs on endocrine stress and inflammation in adolescence. We examined 393 Flemish adolescents (14\u201315 years) cross-sectionally, measured urinary concentrations of hydroxylated naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene metabolites, and calculated the sum of all measured metabolites. We determined hair cortisol concentration (HCC) as endocrine stress biomarker, leucocyte counts and neutrophil\u2013lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in peripheral blood as inflammatory biomarkers, and urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2\u2019-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) concentration as oxidative stress biomarker. Exposure\u2013response associations were analyzed by multiple regression, adjusted for a priori selected covariates. A doubling of 1-hydroxypyrene concentration was associated with a factor of 1.13 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.24) increase in HCC and a factor of 1.07 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.13) increase in 8-oxodG. Doublings of 2- and 3-hydroxyphenanthrene concentrations were associated with a factor of 1.08 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.14) and 1.06 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.12) increase in 8-oxodG, respectively. Doubling of 2-hydroxyphenanthrene and of the sum of 2- and 3-hydroxyfluorene was associated with, respectively, a factor of 1.08 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.14) and 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.13) increase in NLR. Our results indicate the glucocorticoid pathway as a potential target for PAH exposure in adolescents and suggest oxidative stress, endocrine stress, and inflammation in adolescence as underlying mechanisms and early markers for PAH-related adverse health effects.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics9100245","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,11]],"date-time":"2021-10-11T01:59:47Z","timestamp":1633917587000},"page":"245","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":21,"title":["Urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites Are Associated with Biomarkers of Chronic Endocrine Stress, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Adolescents: FLEHS-4 (2016\u20132020)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5262-5665","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Veerle","family":"Verheyen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium"},{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0322-9620","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sylvie","family":"Remy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6556-4814","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eva","family":"Govarts","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6629-7973","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ann","family":"Colles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6630-411X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura","family":"Rodriguez Martin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gudrun","family":"Koppen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9005-1930","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefan","family":"Voorspoels","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VITO GOAL, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liesbeth","family":"Bruckers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Esm\u00e9e","family":"Bijnens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stijn","family":"Vos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1097-8382","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bert","family":"Morrens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Sint-Jacobstraat 2, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0009-0723","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dries","family":"Coertjens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Sint-Jacobstraat 2, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9287-6813","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Annelies","family":"De Decker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Provincial Institute of Hygiene, Kronenburgstraat 45, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carmen","family":"Franken","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Provincial Institute of Hygiene, Kronenburgstraat 45, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elly","family":"Den Hond","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Provincial Institute of Hygiene, Kronenburgstraat 45, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vera","family":"Nelen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Provincial Institute of Hygiene, Kronenburgstraat 45, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0527-1136","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adrian","family":"Covaci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, 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