title: Streamer discharge reduces pollen-induced inflammatory responses and injury in human airway epithelial cells.
abstract: Although epidemiological studies have demonstrated that cedar pollen influences respiratory health, effective method for inactivating cedar pollen has not been established. Streamer discharge is a type of plasma discharge in which high-speed electrons collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules. It reportedly has the ability to eliminate bacteria, mould, chemical substances and allergens. The present study investigated the influence of pollen on BEAS-2B cell line, derived from human airway epithelial cells, as well as the efficiency of streamer discharge on pollen-induced health effects. Airway epithelial cells were exposed to non-treated pollen and streamer-discharged pollen at doses of 100 and 1000 μg/mL for 6 or 24 h. Non-treated pollen at a dose of 1000 μg/mL significantly decreased cell viability and induced both mRNA and protein expression of interleukin-6, whereas streamer-discharged pollen showed the attenuated changes as compared with non-treated pollen. Further, scanning electron micrographs showed that streamer discharge caused the fine structural changes of pollen. These results provide the first experimental evidence that pollen at a high dose affects cell viability and inflammatory responses, and streamer discharge technology attenuates their influences by decomposing pollen.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Division, Department of Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University C Cluster, Kyoto-Daigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8540, Japan. akko@health.env.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Rumiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murayama
authors.forename: Kenshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Yugo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Eiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shirasawa
authors.forename: Hirohisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takano
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D028203:Cedrus; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D058626:Plasma Gases; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D015850:Interleukin-6; D058626:Plasma Gases