Vascular dysfunction and oxidative stress caused by acute formaldehyde exposure in female adults

Formaldehyde (FA) is a common, volatile organic compound used in organic preservation with known health effects of eye, nose, and throat irritation linked to oxidative stress and inflammation. Indeed, long-term FA exposure may provoke skin disorders, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. However, the effects of short-term FA exposure on the vasculature have yet to be investigated. We sought to investigate the impact of an acute FA exposure on 1) macrovascular function in the arm (brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, FMD), 2) microvascular function in the arm (brachial artery reactive hyperemia, RH) and leg (common femoral artery, supine passive limb movement, PLM), and 3) circulating markers of oxidative stress (xanthine oxidase, XO; protein carbonyl, PC; and malondialdehyde, MDA) and inflammation (C-reactive protein, CRP). Ten (n = 10) healthy females (23 +/- 1 yr) were studied before and immediately after a 90-min FA exposure [(FA): 197 +/- 79 ppb] in cadaver dissection laboratories. Brachial artery FMD% decreased following FA exposure (Pre-FA Exp: 9.41 +/- 4.21%, Post-FA Exp: 6.74 +/- 2.57%; P = 0.043), and FMD/shear decreased following FA exposure (Pre-FA Exp: 0.13 +/- 0.07 AU, Post-FA Exp: 0.07 +/- 0.03 AU; P = 0.016). The area under the curve for brachial artery RH (Pre-FA Exp: 481 +/- 191 ml, Post-FA Exp: 499 +/- 165 ml) and common femoral artery PLM (Pre-FA Exp: 139 +/- 95 ml, Post-FA Exp: 129 +/- 64 ml) were unchanged by FA exposure (P > 0.05). Circulating MDA increased (Pre-FA Exp: 4.8 +/- 1.3 mu M, Post-FA Exp: 6.3 +/- 2.2 mu M; P = 0.047) while XO, PC, and CRP were unchanged by FA exposure (P > 0.05). These initial data suggest a short FA exposure can adversely alter vascular function and oxidative stress, influencing cardiovascular health. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study was the first to investigate the implications of acute formaldehyde (FA) exposure on adult female vascular function in the arms and legs. The main findings of this study were a decrease in conduit vessel function without any alteration to microvascular function following a 90-min FA exposure. Additionally, the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde increased after FA exposure. Taken together, these results suggest acute FA exposure have deleterious implications for the vasculature and redox balance.