Integrated approach in Human Biomonitoring: epigenetic profile for environment-health study correlation

Abstract

Human Biomonitoring (HB) represents a useful tool to investigate the complex relationship existing between environment and health. Assess human exposure to external stressors means to deepen observe, with a holistic approach, all factors contributing to generate the exposure itself. Considering the “Campania Region (Italy)” case study, the present PhD dissertation introduce and describe an innovative HB protocol that try to make up to the lack of data integration from complementary science fields. The biomonitoring model is based on a whole systemic analytical evaluation of the environmental context. The paradigm of the protocol considers three elements: identification of pollution sources, of pollutants migration ways and of effects on target organisms. It pursues its aims enrolling healthy human cohorts, in order to identify potential risks of exposure to pollutants and to potentially predict correlated clinical outcomes. Monitoring of environmental matrices, detection of exposure and effect biomarkers in human specimens, together with epidemiological evaluations, are integrated in a multilevel analysis in order to depict a framework of the regional state of contamination. A particular focus in the dissertation is dedicated to epigenetic profiles obtained with DNA methylation array analysis, the most widely molecular mark observed in environmental epigenetic studies. The modulation of gene expression programs in response to environmental exposure is a key to understand gene-environment interactions and to deep insight into possible phenotypic and clinical effects on susceptible populations, as well as into the etiology of cancers and chronic-degenerative diseases. This means the possibility of translating the acquired knowledge into public health interventions and developing prevention strategies. Indeed, the long-term objective of the study, over the current PhD dissertation, is to create an integrated, dynamic map of environmental contamination in the Campania Region, in order to support the implementation of public health policy and provide a scientific reference model for the evaluation of exposure risk assessment. According to a “One Health” perspective, the model aspires to be translated in different contexts and for various applications, and to become a useful tool for comparative, multi-criteria and multi-disciplinary analysis. [edited by Author]