Cited by 8Air Quality and Health ImpactsCarcinogens and Genotoxicity AssessmentToxic Organic Pollutants Impact

Genomic Approach to the Assessment of Adverse Effects of Particulate Matters on Skin Cancer and Other Disorders and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms

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Kee, Nam Gook, Kim, Hyun Soo, Choi, Hyunjung, Kim, Hyoung-June, Seo, Young Rok·2021·Journal of Cancer Prevention

Abstract

Air pollutants are in the spotlight because the human body can easily be exposed to them. Among air pollutants, the particulate matter (PM) represents one of the most serious toxicants that can enter the human body through various exposure routes. PMs have various adverse effects and classified as severe carcinogen by International Agency for Research on Cancer. Their physical and chemical characteristics are distinguished by their size. In this review, we summarized the published information on the physicochemical characteristics and adverse effects of PMs on the skin, including carcinogenicity. Through comparisons of biological networks constructed from relationships discussed in the previous scientific publications, we show it is possible to predict skin cancers and other disorders from particle-size-specific signaling alterations of PM-responsive genes. Our review not only helps to grasp the biological association between ambient PMs and skin diseases including cancer, but also provides new approaches to interpret chemical-gene-disease associations regarding the adverse effects of these heterogeneous particles.

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  • Several epidemiological studies suggest a link between chronic exposure to particulate matter and increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer, likely through oxidative stress, mutagenic DNA damage, and persistent activation of pathways including the AhR.

    “Several epidemiological studies suggest a link between chronic exposure to particulate matter and increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer, likely through oxidative stress, mutagenic DNA damage, and persistent activation of pathways including the AhR [79].”

    From The Environmental Determinants of Skin Health: Linking Climate Change, Air Pollution, and the Dermatologic Disease Burden (2025) · cites this paper as [79]

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  • Cohort data from urban populations have reported a positive correlation between PM2.5 levels and skin cancer incidence.

    “Cohort data from urban populations have reported a positive correlation between PM2.5 levels and skin cancer incidence, emphasizing the need for public health mitigation and further study [79].”

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Kee, N. G., Kim, H. S., Choi, H., Kim, H.-J., & Seo, Y. R.
Affiliations
  • Dongguk University (KR)
  • Amorepacific (South Korea) (KR)
Corresponding author
  • Kim, Hyoung-June
  • Seo, Young Rok
Venue
Journal of Cancer Prevention
Published
2021-09-30
Volume
26
Issue
3
Pages
153-161
ISSN
  • 2288-3649 (ISSN-L)
  • 2288-3657
OpenAlex
W3205957171
Cited by
8
References
5
Citations by year
2025: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1
FWCI
0.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • Journal of Cancer Prevention (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Amorepacific Corporation
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Carcinogens and Genotoxicity Assessment
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
Keywords
particulate matter, air pollution, skin cancer, skin diseases, carcinogenicity, particle size, gene expression, biological networks, molecular mechanisms of toxicity, exposure routes

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