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Evaluation of Changes in Immune System of Operating Room Personnel by Measurement of Urinary Neopterin Concentrations

Abstract Today it is known that neopterin is mainly produced by activated macrophages and a marker of immune activation and macrophage activity. Increased neopterin concentrations are observed in diseases related to cellular immunity including occupational pathologies. The major goal of the present study was to evaluate the possible alteration of neopterin levels in operating room personnel, and also to show whether screening of neopterin may be useful to monitor the effect of occupational anesthetic exposure on the cellular immune system. Therefore, urinary neopterin to creatinine levels in both, exposed workers (n = 40) and healthy volunteers (n = 30), were measured by using high-performance liquid chromatography. At the same time, the correlation among urinary neopterin levels and working years, age, and smoking status were evaluated. Compared to controls, urinary neopterin levels in the exposed group were increased (controls: 85 ± 16 μmol/mol creatinine, workers: 151 ± 39 μmol/mol creatinine; p <0.05). The findings suggest that the follow up of neopterin levels may have diagnostic value in possible occupational exposure-related immune system disorders. Moreover, its biological monitoring should be performed in workplaces for clinical diagnosis and prognosis.