Redox Biology · Oct 11, 2026

Benzene exposure in relation to the development of glycemic dysregulation and type 2 diabetes mediated by oxidative stress and aggravated by inflammation in a repeated-measure prospective cohort study of Chinese adults

By Hong L, Wan S, Shi W et al.

AIMS: Whether and how benzene (a ubiquitous environmental pollutant posing substantial public health concerns) exposure contributes to glycemic dyshomeostasis and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) remain unclear. METHODS: Among 3422 Chinese adults from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort, urinary N-Acetyl-S-(phenyl)-l-cysteine (PMA; dependable benzene exposure biomarker) was repeatedly measured at baseline and 3-year follow-up to investigate its associations with glycemic homeostasis markers (fasting plasma glucose [FPG] and insulin [FPI], homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], insulin resistance [IR], and impaired fasting glucose [IFG]) and T2DM appropriately by performing general linear, logistic, and Poisson regression models. Oxidative stress (exhaled carbon monoxide [eCO]; urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and 8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α; plasma protein carbonyl) and inflammation (plasma C-reactive protein [CRP]; mean platelet volume [MPV]; neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) biomarkers were detected to explore their roles by performing mediation and interaction analyses. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, positive PMA-FPG (β = 0.014, 95% confidence interval: 0.005∼0.024), PMA-FPI (0.076, 0.049∼0.104), PMA-HOMA-IR (0.090, 0.059∼0.122), PMA-IR (odds ratio = 1.516, 1.192∼1.929), PMA-IFG (1.653, 1.164∼2.343), and PMA-T2DM (1.445, 1.019∼2.045) associations were discovered. Longitudinally, positive PMA-FPG (β = 0.059, 0.016∼0.101) and PMA-HOMA-IR (quartile 4 vs. 1: 0.054, 0.002∼0.106; Ptrend = 0.041) associations were uncovered, and participants with consistently high PMA level had higher risks of incident IR (risk ratio = 2.513, 1.638∼3.857) and T2DM (2.834, 1.042∼7.708). PMA-CRP and PMA-MPV interactions on FPG, PMA-CRP interaction on IFG, and PMA-NLR interaction on T2DM were detected. 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and eCO mediated 4.74% and 5.97% of the PMA-FPI and PMA-T2DM associations, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Benzene exposure of general adults was linked to the development of glycemic dyshomeostasis and T2DM possibly through mediation by oxidative stress and interaction with inflammation.

doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2026.104434Open accessPubMed 42925723Populations