Susceptibility of individuals with lung dysfunction to systemic inflammation associated with ambient fine particle exposure: A panel study in Beijing

Xi Chen; Chengli Que; Yuan Yao; Yiqun Han; Hanxiyue Zhang; Xiaoying Li; Xinchen Lu; Wu Chen; Xinyan Hu; Yusheng Wu; Teng Wang; Lina Zhang; Mei Zheng; Xinghua Qiu; Tong Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147760

Susceptibility of individuals with lung dysfunction to systemic inflammation associated with ambient fine particle exposure: A panel study in Beijing

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Sep 20:788:147760. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147760. Epub 2021 May 15.

Authors

Xi Chen¹, Chengli Que², Yuan Yao³, Yiqun Han⁴, Hanxiyue Zhang⁵, Xiaoying Li⁶, Xinchen Lu⁷, Wu Chen⁸, Xinyan Hu⁹, Yusheng Wu¹⁰, Teng Wang¹¹, Lina Zhang¹², Mei Zheng¹³, Xinghua Qiu¹⁴, Tong Zhu¹⁵

Affiliations

¹ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; GRiC, Shenzhen Institute of Building Research Co., Ltd., Xiong'an 071700, China. Electronic address: chenxi_1111@yeah.net.
² Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100034, China. Electronic address: quechengli@bjmu.edu.cn.
³ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: yuanyao@pku.edu.cn.
⁴ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC Centre for Environmental and Health, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK. Electronic address: yiqun.han@imperial.ac.uk.
⁵ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: zhanghanxiyue@pku.edu.cn.
⁶ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: xiaoying0303@pku.edu.cn.
⁷ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: luxc@pku.edu.cn.
⁸ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: cwvivian511@163.com.
⁹ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: 1101549797@qq.com.
¹⁰ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: yusheng@pku.edu.cn.
¹¹ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: t.w@pku.edu.cn.
¹² Beijing Xicheng District Shichahai Community Health Center, Beijing 100000, China. Electronic address: 10027698@qq.com.
¹³ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: mzheng@pku.edu.cn.
¹⁴ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: xhqiu@pku.edu.cn.
¹⁵ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: tzhu@pku.edu.cn.

PMID: 34020092
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147760

Abstract

Background: The underlying mechanism on the susceptibility of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to air pollution has yet to be clarified.

Objectives: Based on the COPD in Beijing (COPDB) study, we examined whether lung dysfunction contributed to pollutant-associated systemic inflammation in COPD patients.

Methods: Proinflammatory biomarkers including interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) were measured in serum samples collected from 53 COPD and 82 healthy participants. Concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM_2.5), carbonaceous components in PM_2.5, and PM size distribution were continuously monitored. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the associations of biomarker differences with particle exposure, between COPD and healthy participants, and across subgroups with different levels of lung dysfunction.

Results: COPD patients showed higher differences in IL-8 and TNFα levels associated with exposure to measured pollutants, comparing to healthy controls. In advanced analysis, particle-associated differences in IL-8 and TNFα levels were higher in participants with poorer lung ventilation and diffusion capacity, and higher ratio of residual volume. For example, an interquartile range increase in average PM_2.5 concentration 2 weeks before visits was associated with a 15.7% difference in IL-8 level in participants with the lowest ratio of measured value to predicted value of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1%pred) (65.2%), and the association decreased monotonically with increasing FEV1%pred. Associations between differences in TNFα level and average ultrafine particle concentration 1 week before visits increased gradually with increasing ratio of measured value to predicted value of residual volume/total lung capacity.

Conclusions: COPD patients, especially those with poorer lung function, are more susceptible to systemic inflammation associated with fine particle exposure.

Keywords: COPD; Carbonaceous component; Lung diffusion; Lung ventilation; Residual volume; Ultrafine particle.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollutants* / toxicity
Air Pollution* / analysis
Beijing / epidemiology
Environmental Exposure / adverse effects
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Humans
Inflammation / chemically induced
Lung
Particulate Matter / analysis
Particulate Matter / toxicity
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* / epidemiology

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter