AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Use of a Comprehensive Suite for the Toxicological Analysis of Airborne Particulate Matter
JANE TURNER, Kevin McCabe, Alina M. Handorean, Mark T. Hernandez, University of Colorado at Boulder
Abstract Number: 587 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract Epidemiological studies have provided compelling statistical evidence for associations between airborne particulate matter (PM) exposure and negative health effects. Additionally, numerous toxicological studies have demonstrated that beyond certain thresholds, airborne PM has the potential to introduce DNA damage, cytotoxicity and oxidative stress. Recent toxicological research on PM focuses on singular biomarkers, generalizing cellular damage pathways to solitary mechanisms. There is a need for the development of broader screening approaches which are capable of quickly and comprehensively describing the conglomerate of biological activity that PM may carry. In response to this paucity, a suite of toxicological assays, which utilizes flow cytometry for quantification, has been adapted to assess the major toxicological modes associated with airborne PM. The assay panel employs human cell lines (lung epithelial and phagocytic monocytes) and addresses the following classes of fundamental cellular responses previously linked with PM exposure: necrotic and apoptotic cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative stress. These assays are relatively rapid, and can indicate the potential of individual toxicity mechanisms, as well as provide for the analysis of combined biological effects. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of this suite, human cell lines were challenged with well-characterized diesel exhaust particles (DEP). Preliminary results demonstrate DEP induced cyto- and genotoxicity via induction of necrosis, apoptosis and interruption of cell cycling when thresholds were exceeded. This platform can now be utilized to elucidate mechanisms driving synergistic effects between DEP and model bioaerosols.