Liu Kezhou, Xu Ying, Ying Mengjie, Chen Meiling
School of Automation (Artificial Intelligence), Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
School of Environment and Resources, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Toxics. 2025 Mar 17;13(3):221. doi: 10.3390/toxics13030221.
Particulate matter coexists with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the atmosphere, which can enter the human body by accompanying inhalable particles in the respiratory tract. Photochemical conversion further alters the chemical composition of the precursor particles and secondary products. This study investigated the effects of nanoscale iron-chlorobenzene mixtures and their photochemical conversion products on early lung development in rat pups. Using network toxicology and animal experiments, we constructed a compound toxicity-target network and developed air exposure models. This study revealed that both pollutants, before and after photochemical conversion, bound to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), increased oxidative stress, altered lung tissue morphology, and reduce inflammatory factor expression. Rat pups were highly sensitive to pollutants during critical stages of lung development. However, no significant differences in oxidative stress or inflammation were observed between the pollutants, likely because of immature lung tissues. Once tissue damage reached a threshold, the response to increasing pollutant concentrations diminished. This study provides insights into atmospheric pollutant toxicity and scientific evidence for the risk assessment of dioxin-like nanoscale mixtures.
大气中的颗粒物与持久性有机污染物（POPs）共存，它们可通过呼吸道中可吸入颗粒的携带进入人体。光化学转化进一步改变了前驱体颗粒和二次产物的化学组成。本研究调查了纳米级铁 - 氯苯混合物及其光化学转化产物对幼鼠早期肺发育的影响。利用网络毒理学和动物实验，我们构建了化合物毒性 - 靶点网络并建立了空气暴露模型。本研究表明，光化学转化前后的两种污染物均与芳烃受体（AhR）结合，增加氧化应激，改变肺组织形态，并降低炎症因子表达。幼鼠在肺发育的关键阶段对污染物高度敏感。然而，污染物之间在氧化应激或炎症方面未观察到显著差异，这可能是由于肺组织不成熟所致。一旦组织损伤达到阈值，对不断增加的污染物浓度的反应就会减弱。本研究为大气污染物毒性提供了见解，并为二恶英类纳米级混合物的风险评估提供了科学依据。
