Effects of ambient particulate matter on a reconstructed human corneal epithelium model

Ryota Ko; Masahiko Hayashi; Miho Tanaka; Tomoaki Okuda; Chiharu Nishita-Hara; Hiroaki Ozaki; Eiichi Uchio

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-82971-1

Effects of ambient particulate matter on a reconstructed human corneal epithelium model

Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 9;11(1):3417. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82971-1.

Authors

Ryota Ko¹, Masahiko Hayashi², Miho Tanaka³, Tomoaki Okuda⁴, Chiharu Nishita-Hara⁵, Hiroaki Ozaki⁶, Eiichi Uchio⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan. asomelabz@yahoo.co.jp.
² Department of Earth System Science, Faculty of Science, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan.
³ Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 1-30-3, Toyokawa, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-0057, Japan.
⁴ Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku, Yokohama, 223-8522, Japan.
⁵ Fukuoka Institute for Atmospheric Environment and Health, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan.
⁶ Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan.
⁷ Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan. euchio@fukuoka-u.ac.jp.

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) on the corneal epithelium using a reconstructed human corneal epithelium (HCE) model. We collected two PM size fractions [aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.4 µm: PM_0.3-2.4 and larger than 2.4 µm: PM_>2.4] and exposed these tissues to PM concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 µg/mL for 24 h. After exposure, cell viability and interleukin (IL) IL-6 and IL-8 levels were determined, and haematoxylin and eosin and immunofluorescence staining of the zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) were performed on tissue sections. In addition, the effects of a certified reference material of urban aerosols (UA; 100 µg/mL) were also examined as a reference. The viability of cells exposed to 100 μg/mL UA and PM_>2.4 decreased to 76.2% ± 7.4 and 75.4% ± 16.1, respectively, whereas PM_0.3-2.4 exposure had a limited effect on cell viability. These particles did not increase IL-6 and IL-8 levels significantly even though cell viability was decreased in 100 μg/mL UA and PM_>2.4. ZO-1 expression was reduced in a dose-dependent manner in all groups. Reconstructed HCE could be used as an in vitro model to study the effects of environmental PM exposure on ocular surface cell viability and inflammation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Environmental Exposure / adverse effects*
Epithelium, Corneal / metabolism*
Epithelium, Corneal / pathology
Humans
Interleukin-6 / biosynthesis
Interleukin-8 / biosynthesis
Models, Biological*
Particulate Matter / toxicity*
Zonula Occludens-1 Protein / biosynthesis

Substances

CXCL8 protein, human
IL6 protein, human
Interleukin-6
Interleukin-8
Particulate Matter
TJP1 protein, human
Zonula Occludens-1 Protein