Interaction of inhalable volatile organic compounds and pulmonary surfactant: Potential hazards of VOCs exposure to lung

An adverse outcome pathway for lung surfactant function inhibition leading to decreased lung function

“…Structural changes can be identified during compression of the film when combined with epifluorescence or atomic force microscopy. These methods have been applied successfully to the study of changes induced by resin acids ( Jagalski et al, 2016 ), nanoparticles ( Wang et al, 2020 ), soot particles ( Fang et al, 2020 ), volatile organic substances ( Zhao et al, 2019 ), industrial chemicals ( Da Silva et al, 2021 ); tobacco smoke constituents ( Stenger et al, 2009 ), e-cigarette components ( Przybyla et al, 2017 ), spray products ( Larsen, et al, 2014 ), corticosteroids ( Wang et al, 2012 ), and biological components like cholesterol ( Zhang et al, 2012 , Taeusch et al, 2005 ), or meconium ( Lopez-Rodriguez et al, 2011 ).…”

Interfacial rheology for the assessment of potential health effects of inhaled carbon nanomaterials at variable breathing conditions

“…This layer contains the mixture of specific compounds of the lung surfactant, LS – the structure, which plays a vital role in the physiological functions of the respiratory system 13 . It has been recognized that LS is sensitive to inhaled materials 9 , 14 – 16 , and the resulting impairment of LS composition and/or properties may contribute to serious health problems, including the acute lung injury and respiratory distress. Accordingly, the analysis of LS properties in the presence of external factors such as micro/nanoparticles or chemicals, can give a preliminary information regarding the possible respiratory health problems that may follow inhalation of these agents 17 – 20 .…”

Source-Specific Volatile Organic Compounds and Emergency Hospital Admissions for Cardiorespiratory Diseases

“…However, it is still uncertain if ambient concentrations of gasoline-related VOCs can trigger the allergic response since our results did not observed a significant association between gasoline-related VOCs and asthma hospitalizations, which were more relevant to allergic response. Notably, an emerging study found that the inhaled TEX were concerned with surface tension, phase behavior and the solubilization of pulmonary surfactant then might generate acute or chronic effects on respiratory functions, such as COPD exacerbation [ 12 ].…”

“…Specifically, exposure to indoor VOCs may result in chronic bronchitis, an allergic reaction and diminution of pulmonary function which are typical symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 10 , 11 ]. The potential pathogenesis of VOC’s respiratory toxicity includes inflammation, oxidative stress, and the dysfunction of pulmonary surfactant [ 6 , 12 , 13 ]. Personal exposure to specific VOCs, such as benzene and toluene, were also found to be linked with cardiovascular dysfunctions, probably because of the systemic inflammation and arrhythmia [ 8 , 9 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”