Her main research interests investigate the effect of inhaled toxins on respiratory health and susceptibility to respiratory infection, with a particular interest in E-cigarettes or vaping products, and air pollution particulate matter. She is also interested in the effect of inhaled toxins on bacterial virulence properties. She is currently collaborating to define the potentially harmful effects of London Underground-and London traffic-related air pollution particulate matter on respiratory health. Gary Foley is a paediatrician whose main areas of interest include Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, cell surface receptors and air pollution. He is currently conducting a comprehensive study in the paediatric population looking at platelet-activating factor receptor, an immune-related cell surface receptor involved in inflammation that is also a potential gateway for S. pneumoniae infection in children with chronic illness. He is a lecturer at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry and a Senior Paediatric Registrar in London. He is currently collaborating to define the potentially harmful effects of London Underground-and London traffic-related air pollution particulate matter on respiratory health.

Take home messageCulture of airway epithelial cells with traffic-derived particulate matter less than 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter (PM 10 ) upregulates the expression of angiotensinconverting enzyme 2 -the receptor used by SARS-CoV-2 to infect host cells. Abstract BackgroundThe mechanism for the association between traffic-derived particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) and cases of COVID-19 disease reported in epidemiological studies is unknown. To infect cells, the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 interacts with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on host airway cells. Increased ACE2 expression in lower airway cells in active smokers, suggests a potential mechanism whereby PM10 increases vulnerability to COVID-19 disease. ObjectiveTo assess the effect of traffic-derived PM 10 on human airway epithelial cell ACE2 expression in vitro. MethodsPM 10 was collected from Marylebone Road (London) using a kerbside impactor.A549 and human primary nasal epithelial cells were cultured with PM10 for 2 h, and ACE2 expression (median fluorescent intensity; MFI) assessed by flow cytometry.We included cigarette smoke extract as a putative positive control. Data were analysed by either Mann-Whitney test, or Kruskal-Wallis with multiple comparisons test.

To date, diesel particulate matter (DPM) has been described as aggregates of spherule particles with a smooth appearing surface. We have used a new colour confocal microscope imaging method to study the 3D shape of diesel particulate matter (DPM); we observed that the particles can have sharp jagged appearing edges and consistent with these findings, 2D light microscopy demonstrated that DPM adheres to human lung epithelial cells. Importantly, the slide preparation and confocal microscopy method applied avoids possible alteration to the particles’ surfaces and enables colour 3D visualisation of the particles. From twenty-one PM10 particles, the mean (standard deviation) major axis length was 5.6 (2.25) μm with corresponding values for the minor axis length of 3.8 (1.25) μm. These new findings may help explain why air pollution particulate matter (PM) has the ability to infiltrate human airway cells, potentially leading to respiratory tract, cardiovascular and neurological disease.

No abstract

No abstract