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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Oct 30.
Published in final edited form as: Biomarkers. 2018 Dec 9;24(3):240–248. doi: 10.1080/1354750X.2018.1548031

Table 4.

Characteristics and health associations of 12 PVOCs commonly detected in human urine. RCC: renal cell carcinoma; iMR: idiopathic membranous nephropathy; ADHD: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Compound Associations with health outcomes Source
Isovaleraldehyde (3-Methylbutanal) Increased in urinary incontinence [49]
2-Pentanone Showed differences in RCC compared to controls; increased in overweight/obese children; increased in iMR; present in most urine samples from healthy individuals; lung cancer [40, 5053]
4-Methyl-2-pentanone Present in most urine samples from healthy individuals; solvent exposure from paint, varnish, rubber cements, and adhesives [40, 54]
2-Butanone Present in most urine samples from healthy individuals; lung cancer [40, 53]
Pyrrole Decreased in patients with mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis; increased in patients with psychiatric disorders [42, 44]
4-Heptanone Decreased in RCC; increased in iMR; present in most urine samples from healthy individuals; increased in diabetic patients [40, 42, 45, 52]
Dimethyl disulfide Generated by E. coli-increased in urinary tract infection; decreased in cancer patients [23, 55]
Carvone Derived from caraway seeds, considered beneficial for health; tumor inhibitor [56]
1-Pentanol Most likely from solvent exposure; known neurotoxicant in humans [57]
Pentanal Increased in patients with prostate cancer [58]
Allyl isothiocyanate Ingested in cruciferous vegetables and has anti-cancer properties: inhibits bladder cancer [47, 48]
2-Methyl-1-propanol (Isobutanol) Elevated in diabetes mellitus [46, 59]