Toxicity and endocrine-disrupting potential of PM2.5: Association with particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalate esters, and heavy metals

Qinghua Zhou; Jinyuan Chen; Junfan Zhang; Feifei Zhou; Jingjing Zhao; Xiuzhen Wei; Kaiyun Zheng; Jian Wu; Bingjie Li; Bingjun Pan

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118349

Toxicity and endocrine-disrupting potential of PM_2.5: Association with particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalate esters, and heavy metals

Environ Pollut. 2022 Jan 1;292(Pt A):118349. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118349. Epub 2021 Oct 12.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China.
² Departments of TCM Gynecology, Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
³ Ecology and Environmental Science Research & Design Institute of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address: bjpan@zjut.edu.cn.

PMID: 34653588
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118349

Abstract

The adverse effects of fine atmospheric particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters of ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5) are closely associated with particulate chemicals. In this study, PM_2.5 samples were collected from highway and industry sites in Hangzhou, China, during the autumn and winter, and their cytotoxicity and pulmonary toxicity and endocrine-disrupting potential (EDP) were evaluated in vitro and in vivo; the particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalate esters (PAEs), and heavy metals were then characterized. The toxicological results suggested that the PM_2.5 from highway site induced higher cytotoxicity (cell viability inhibition, intracellular oxidative stress, and cell membrane injury) and pulmonary toxicity (inflammatory response (IR) and oxidative stress (OS)) than the samples from industry site, while the PM_2.5 from industry site exhibited higher EDP (estrogenic and anti-androgenic activity). The cytotoxicity and pulmonary toxicity of PM_2.5 in the winter were higher than those in the autumn, while no seasonal difference in the endocrine-disrupting potential was observed (p > 0.05). The Pearson correlation analysis between the biological effects and particulate chemicals revealed that the PM_2.5-induced inflammatory response and oxidative stress were closely associated with the particulate PAHs and heavy metals (Pearson correlation coefficients: r_{IR, PAHs} = 0.822-0.988, r_{IR, heavy metals} = 0.895-0.971, r_{OS, PAHs} = 0.843-0.986, and r_{OS, heavy metals} = 0.887-0.933), while particulate di (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) substantially contributed to the EDP of PM_2.5 (r_{EDP, DEHP} = 0.981). This study indicated that the toxicity and EDP of PM_2.5 could vary with the surrounding environment and season, which was closely associated with the variations of particulate chemicals. Further studies are needed to clarify the associations between the harmful effects of PM_2.5 and other contributing factors.

Keywords: Anti-androgenic activity; Cytotoxicity; Estrogenic activity; Particulate chemicals; Pulmonary toxicity.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollutants* / toxicity
Animals
China
Environmental Monitoring
Esters / toxicity
Humans
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Metals, Heavy* / toxicity
Mice
Particulate Matter / analysis
Particulate Matter / toxicity
Phthalic Acids
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / analysis
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / toxicity
Seasons

Substances

Air Pollutants
Esters
Metals, Heavy
Particulate Matter
Phthalic Acids
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
phthalic acid