Association between short-term exposure to PM and nasal microbiota dysbiosis, inflammation and oxidative stress: A panel study of healthy young adults.

Fine particulate matter (PM) is the primary environmental stressor and a significant threat to public health. However, the effect of PM exposure on human nasal microbiota and its pathophysiological implication remain less understood. This study aimed to explore the associations of PM exposure with indices of nasal microbiota and biomarkers of nasal inflammation and oxidative stress. We conducted a panel study with 75 students in Xinxiang, Henan Province, China, from September to December 2017. Biomarkers of nasal inflammation and oxidative stress including interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), 8-epi-prostaglandin F2 alpha (8-epi-PGF2α) and indices of nasal microbiota diversity and phenotypes were measured. Linear mixed-effect models and bioinformatic analyses were performed to assess the association of PM concentrations with the abovementioned biomarkers and indices. It was found that per 1 μg/m increase in PM was associated with increments of 13.15% (95 % CI: 5.53-20.76 %) and 78.98 % (95 % CI: 21.61-136.36 %) in TNF-α on lag2 and lag02. Indices of microbial diversity and phenotypes including equitability, Shannon index, biofilm forming, and oxidative stress tolerant decreased to different extent with the increment in PM. Notably, thirteen differential microbes in Clostridia, Bacilli, and Gammaproteobacteria classes were recognized as keystone taxa and eight of them were associated with TNF-α, IL-6, or 8-epi-PGF2α. Moreover, environmental adaptation was the most critical functional pathway of nasal microbiota associated with PM exposure. In summary, short-term exposure to PM is associated with nasal inflammation, microbiota diversity reduction, and the microbiota phenotype alterations.