New exposure system to evaluate the toxicity of (scooter) exhaust emissions in lung cells in vitro.
A constantly growing number of scooters produce an increasing amount of potentially harmful emissions. Due to their engine technology, two-stroke scooters emit huge amounts of adverse substances, which can induce adverse pulmonary and cardiovascular health effects. The aim of this study was to develop a system to expose a characterized triple cell coculture model of the human epithelial airway barrier, to freshly produced and characterized total scooter exhaust emissions. In exposure chambers, cell cultures were exposed for 1 and 2 h to 1:100 diluted exhaust emissions and in the reference chamber to filtered ambient air, both controlled at 5% CO(2), 85% relative humidity, and 37 degrees C. The postexposure time was 0-24 h. Cytotoxicity, used to validate the exposure system, was significantly increased in exposed cell cultures after 8 h postexposure time. (Pro-) inflammatory chemo- and cytokine concentrations in the medium of exposed cells were significantly higher at the 12 h postexposure time point. It was shown that the described exposure system (with 2 h exposure duration, 8 and 24 h postexposure time, dilution of 1:100, flow of 2 L/min as optimal exposure conditions) can be used to evaluate the toxic potential of total exhaust emissions.
Institute of Anatomy, Division of Histology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 2, Bern 9, Switzerland. loretta.mueller@ana.unibe.ch
Loretta
L
Müller
Pierre
P
Comte
Jan
J
Czerwinski
Markus
M
Kasper
Andreas C R
AC
Mayer
Peter
P
Gehr
Heinz
H
Burtscher
Jean-Paul
JP
Morin
Athanasios
A
Konstandopoulos
Barbara
B
Rothen-Rutishauser
D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology*; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000633:toxicity*
D052638:Particulate Matter; D001335:Vehicle Emissions