Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2010 Mar 15;243(3):381-9. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2009.12.009. Epub 2009 Dec 21.
Fine particulate air pollutants, mainly their organic fraction, have been demonstrated to be associated with cardiovascular and respiratory health problems. Puerto Rico has been reported to have the highest prevalence of pulmonary diseases (e.g., asthma) in the United States. The aim of this study was to assess, for the first time, the immunological response of human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) to organic extracts isolated from airborne particulate matter (PM(2.5)) in Puerto Rico. Organic extracts from PM(2.5) collected throughout an 8-month period (2000-2001) were pooled (composite) in order to perform chemical analysis and biological activity testing. BEAS-2B cells were exposed to PM(2.5) organic extract to assess cytotoxicity, levels of cytokines and relative gene expression of MHC-II, hPXR and CYP3A5. Our findings show that organic PM(2.5) consist of toxic as well as bioactive components that can regulate the secretion of cytokines in BEAS-2B, which could modulate inflammatory response in the lung. Trace element analyses confirmed the presence of metals in organic extracts highlighting the relative high abundance of Cu and Zn in polar organic extracts. Polar organic extracts exhibited dose-dependant toxicity and were found to significantly induce the release of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-1beta and IL-7 while significantly inhibiting the secretion of IL-8, G-CSF and MCP-1. Moreover, MHC-II transcriptional activity was up-regulated after 24 h of exposure, whereas PXR and CYP3A5 were down-regulated. This research provides a new insight into the effects of PM(2.5) organic fractions on specific effectors and their possible role in the development of respiratory inflammatory diseases in Puerto Rico.
细颗粒物空气污染物，主要是其有机部分，已被证明与心血管和呼吸道健康问题有关。波多黎各被报道为美国肺部疾病（如哮喘）发病率最高的地区。本研究的目的是首次评估来自波多黎各空气中颗粒物（PM（2.5））中分离的有机提取物对人支气管上皮细胞（BEAS-2B）的免疫反应。为了进行化学分析和生物活性测试，将 PM（2.5）采集的有机提取物在 8 个月（2000-2001 年）期间进行了混合（复合）。BEAS-2B 细胞暴露于 PM（2.5）有机提取物中，以评估细胞毒性、细胞因子水平以及 MHC-II、hPXR 和 CYP3A5 的相对基因表达。我们的研究结果表明，有机 PM（2.5）含有有毒和生物活性成分，这些成分可以调节 BEAS-2B 中细胞因子的分泌，从而调节肺部的炎症反应。微量元素分析证实了有机提取物中金属的存在，突出了极性有机提取物中 Cu 和 Zn 的相对高丰度。极性有机提取物表现出剂量依赖性毒性，并被发现可显著诱导白细胞介素 6（IL-6）、IL-1beta 和 IL-7 的释放，同时显著抑制 IL-8、G-CSF 和 MCP-1 的分泌。此外，MHC-II 转录活性在暴露 24 小时后上调，而 PXR 和 CYP3A5 则下调。本研究为 PM（2.5）有机部分对特定效应物的影响及其在波多黎各呼吸炎症性疾病发展中的可能作用提供了新的认识。
