Investigation of disorders of the pro-oxidant-antioxidant blood system of professional motor vehicle drivers in terms of age and work experience

Introduction. It is known that increased generation of reactive oxygen species in the body, including under the influence of adverse environmental factors and working conditions, increases the risk of oxidative stress, the pathogenetic basis of many diseases. Consequently, the detection of early changes in the state of the pro-oxidant-antioxidant system of the blood could become the basis for the primary prevention of occupational and production-related pathologies in various occupational groups, in particular, among drivers of motor vehicles. Meanwhile, studies on these issues for the selected contingent are few and mostly generalizing in nature, without detailing age and length of service characteristics.

The study aims to comprehensively investigate and evaluate disorders of the pro-oxidant-antioxidant system of blood in professional drivers of motor vehicles, depending on age and work experience.

Materials and methods. The authors have examined 277 men (190 professional drivers of motor vehicles and 87 volunteers — the control group). Age groups (20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–65 years old) and internship subgroups (1–5, 5–10, and >10 years old) were formed. The scientists used spectrophotometric methods to study the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the blood, the content of lipid peroxidation products (LPP) — TBK-active products (TBK-AP) and the degree of oxidative modification of proteins (OMP). The authors have assessed the level of DNA damage in leukocytes using an alkaline version of the DNA comet method.

Results. In all drivers, except for the "50–65 years" group, against the background of an increase in the of TBA-AP level in plasma, there was a decrease in the intensity of LPP and the activity of CAT and SOD in erythrocytes relative to the control groups. The decline in CAT and SOD activity increased with increasing age and seniority. Drivers aged 40 to 65 years with more than 5 years of work experience showed a predominance of pro-oxidant processes over antioxidant processes in red blood cells. The authors observed a statistically significant decrease in the level of Fe-dependent OMP among drivers aged 30 to 39 years with less than 10 years of work experience and among drivers aged 40 to 65 years in all subgroups with work experience. In drivers aged 30–39 years with more than 10 years of work experience, they observed an increase in the level of DNA damage in blood leukocytes.

Limitations. There was no separation by type of vehicles (buses, trucks, and cars), which may affect the heterogeneity of working conditions and loads; the influence of the "healthy worker effect" could mask the real impact of the production environment on the health of workers.

Conclusion. There are disorders of the pro-oxidant-antioxidant blood system of professional motor vehicle drivers (men) at the level of lipids, proteins and DNA, depending on age and seniority.

Ethics. The research protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Nizhny Novgorod Scientific Research Institute of Hygiene and Occupational Pathology (Protocol No. 1 dated January 26, 2021). All participants in the study signed an informed consent.

Contributions:
Pozdnyakova M.A. — development of a research plan and program, editing and approval of the final version of the article; current research management;
Zhukova E.S. — development of the research concept and design, interpretation of the results, editing of the article;
Polyakova L.V. — collection and processing of material, analysis of results, preparation of the manuscript for publication;
Zelenkina O.V. — collection and processing of material, analysis of results.

Gratitude. The authors would like to thank A.B. Gapeev, PhD, Professor, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Cell Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a separate division of the Pushchinsky Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, for his comprehensive assistance in mastering the DNA comet method.

Funding. The work was performed within the Framework of the state assignment of the Nizhny Novgorod Scientific Research Institute of Hygiene and Occupational Pathology (Reg. no. 121020900054-2).

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: 08.10.2025 / Accepted: 26.11.2025 / Published: 10.12.2025

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