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31. Arylamines and Bladder Cancer

Arylamines and Bladder Cancer

 

Some workers in the dye industry, after occupational exposure to arylamines, develop an increased risk of bladder cancer. Scientists suspect that SNPs may be involved.

In the liver, arylamines can have two fates, because there are two enzymes available to act on them.

An acetylator enzyme can deactivate arylamines, converting them into nonreactive compounds that are safely removed from the body.

Or arylamines can be activated by a deaminator enzyme in the liver to become precarcinogens that are carried to the bladder. There they are converted into carcinogens.