title: Effects of diesel exhaust particles on primary cultured healthy human conjunctival epithelium.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Air pollution from road traffic is a serious public health problem. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated adverse health effects associated with environmental pollution. Diesel exhaust is a major contributor to ambient particulate matter air pollution. We studied the effects of exposure to diesel exhaust particles on allergic conjunctivitis using cultured conjunctival epithelial cells obtained from healthy people.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify the factors involved in the human conjunctival epithelial response to diesel exhaust in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthy individuals underwent conjunctival biopsy, and the samples were incubated on conjunctival epithelial sheets. We investigated the effects of exposure to diesel exhaust using GeneChip arrays. The adhesion molecules and cytokines showing increased expression on GeneChip arrays were verified by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The GeneChip array showed increased expression of adhesion molecules, cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors after exposure to diesel exhaust. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay confirmed that the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and interleukin 6, in particular, were significantly upregulated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our experimental data confirm that exposure to diesel exhaust particles increases inflammatory factor expression in human conjunctiva and thereby contributes to allergic conjunctival responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine, Yokohama, Japan. hfujishima6@gmail.com
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujishima
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Satake
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hirohisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D016207:Cytokines; D001335:Vehicle Emissions