Organic Components of Personal PM_2.5 Exposure Associated with Inflammation: Evidence from an Untargeted Exposomic Approach

Abstract

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can promote chronic diseases through the fundamental mechanism of inflammation; however, systemic information is lacking on the inflammatory PM2.5 components. To decipher organic components from personal PM2.5 exposure that were associated with respiratory and circulatory inflammatory responses in older adults, we developed an exposomic approach using trace amounts of particles and applied it on 424 personal PM2.5 samples collected in a panel study in Beijing. Applying an integrated multivariate and univariate untargeted strategy, a total of 267 organic compounds were filtered and then chemically identified according to their association with exhaled nitric oxide (eNO)/interleukin (IL)-6 or serum IL-1β/IL-6, with monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic compounds (i.e., MACs and PACs) as the representatives. Indoor-derived species with medium volatility including MACs were mainly associated with systemic inflammation, while low-volatile ambient components that originate from combustion sources, such as PACs, were mostly associated with airway inflammation. Following ambient component exposure, we found an inverted U-shaped relationship on change of eNO with insulin resistance, suggesting a higher risk of cardiopulmonary dysfunction for individuals with homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels > 2.3. Overall, this study provided a practical untargeted strategy for the systemic investigation of PM2.5 components and proposed source-specific inflammatory effects.

Field Evaluation of a Potential Exposure Biomarker of Methylated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Association between Urinary Phenanthrene-2-carboxylic Acid and Personal Exposure to 2-Methylphenanthrene

“…Levels of 2-MePHE and PHE, together with another 15 PAHs (Table S1 in the Supporting Information), in personal PM 2.5 samples were measured with GC-time-of-flight-MS (GC-ToF-MS, Agilent 7890B-7200) as described previously . Briefly, a punch of each filter (3 mm i.d.)…”

“…22 Levels of 2-MePHE and PHE, together with another 15 PAHs (Table S1 in the Supporting Information), in personal PM 2.5 samples were measured with GC-time-of-flight-MS (GC-ToF-MS, Agilent 7890B-7200) as described previously. 8 Briefly, a punch of each filter (3 mm i.d.) was loaded into a microvial and spiked with 0.5 ng of deuterated PAHs as the internal standard and afterward was inserted into the GC injection port for thermal desorption and separation.…”

“…Despite substantial research efforts on the population’s exposure to PAHs and the health effects, studies on MePAHs are scarce, largely due to difficulties in the exposure quantification. Currently, the exposure assessment of MePAHs is commonly based on offline analysis of filter-based personal air samples. , However, the use of personal sampler causes tremendous burdens to both researchers and study participants for the distribution of the sampler in advance and inconvenience of wearing a sampler. In contrast, urine biomonitoring is more convenient if an exposure biomarker is available, as urine voids are noninvasive to collect.…”

Recognition and Health Impacts of Organic Pollutants with Significantly Different Proportions in the Gas Phase and Size-Fractionated Particulate Phase in Ambient Air

“…Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography has been proven to be a more powerful tool for analyzing complex trace chemicals than traditional one-dimensional gas chromatography due to the combination of two columns with different separation mechanisms. − The large amounts of organic compounds in the air would cause a massive data processing problem. Multivariate chemometric methods have brought about great progress in simplifying data and quickly extracting the information with differences among different sample groups. − Therefore, it is feasible to combine comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) with chemometrics to filter chemicals with markedly different proportions in the gas phase and size-fractionated particle phases. The human intakes through inhalation and dermal exposure to identified compounds could be estimated using the International Commission on Radiological Protection deposition model and transdermal permeability model, respectively.…”

Is exposure to chemical pollutants associated with sleep outcomes? A systematic review

“…While understanding of the social and environmental factors that affect sleep is growing, less is known regarding the effects of chemical pollutants such as pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, and endocrinedisrupting chemicals (EDCs) on sleep health. Chemical pollutants have been shown to affect neurotransmitter systems and other sleep-relevant processes such as inflammation [53][54][55]. For example, animal and in vitro studies have shown that lead exposure alters GABA release [56], and a study in monkeys reported that treatment with lead during infancy caused insomnia [57].…”