Comparative Analysis of Toxic Responses of Organic Extracts from Diesel and Selected Alternative Fuels Engine Emissions in Human Lung BEAS-2B Cells

Abstract

This study used toxicogenomics to identify the complex biological response of human lung BEAS-2B cells treated with organic components of particulate matter in the exhaust of a diesel engine. First, we characterized particles from standard diesel (B0), biodiesel (methylesters of rapeseed oil) in its neat form (B100) and 30% by volume blend with diesel fuel (B30), and neat hydrotreated vegetable oil (NEXBTL100). The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives in organic extracts was the lowest for NEXBTL100 and higher for biodiesel. We further analyzed global gene expression changes in BEAS-2B cells following 4 h and 24 h treatment with extracts. The concentrations of 50 µg extract/mL induced a similar molecular response. The common processes induced after 4 h treatment included antioxidant defense, metabolism of xenobiotics and lipids, suppression of pro-apoptotic stimuli, or induction of plasminogen activating cascade; 24 h treatment affected fewer processes, particularly those involved in detoxification of xenobiotics, including PAHs. The majority of distinctively deregulated genes detected after both 4 h and 24 h treatment were induced by NEXBTL100; the deregulated genes included, e.g., those involved in antioxidant defense and cell cycle regulation and proliferation. B100 extract, with the highest PAH concentrations, additionally affected several cell cycle regulatory genes and p38 signaling.

DNA Damage Potential of Engine Emissions Measured In Vitro by Micronucleus Test in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

“…Moreover, we observed comparable genotoxicity of extracts from diesel and biodiesel emissions, which supports the results of recent studies . The similarity of the effects of diesel and biodiesel fuel extracts is also supported by a comparative analysis of the toxic responses of organic extracts from diesel and selected alternative fuels engine emissions in human lung BEAS‐2B cells analysed using the whole‐genome expression approach . Interestingly, although we found the content of PAHs and their nitro and dinitro derivatives to be several times higher in the extracts from B100 than those from B0 emissions, we did not observe any effect of this difference on the frequency of MN.…”

“…The accuracy and precision of the analytical methods was determined by analysing the standard reference material (SRM) 1650b (diesel PM; NIST, Gaithersburg, MD, USA). Further details of the chemical analysis are provided in .…”

Chemical Composition of Diesel/Biodiesel Particulate Exhaust by FTIR Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry: Impact of Fuel and Driving Cycle

“…An Iveco Tector heavy-duty diesel engine was operated in a dynamometer facility at the Czech Technical University Prague as described in a complementary study (Libalova et al, 2016). It ran in either World Harmonized Transient Cycle (WHTC) with a hot start, whereby the engine reached a stabilized operating temperature at the beginning of the test, or in steady-state regime (1500 rpm and 30% load (210 N m)), which roughly represents the average load of heavy vehicles at highway cruise.…”

“…In fact, the high number density at which diesel or biodiesel particles are still emitted in urban areas are thought to exacerbate respiratory, cardiovascular, and allergic diseases due to their small respirable size, large surface area, surface reactivity, hygroscopicity, and potential toxicity (Bernstein et al, 2004;Turrio-Baldassarri et al, 2004;Müller et al, 2005;Reff et al, 2007;Popovicheva et al, 2008;Russell et al, 2009;Topinka et al, 2012;Steiner et al, 2013;Popovicheva et al, 2014a). Specifically, the toxicological properties of diesel and biodiesel PM have been studied by Libalova et al (2016) and showed that human lung cells exposed 24 h to such emission expressed deregulated genes, especially those involved in antioxidant defense and cell cycle regulation and proliferation. Slight changes observed in the biological response to the toxic PM were reported to depend on nature of the fuel.…”

Xenobiotica-metabolizing enzymes in the lung of experimental animals, man and in human lung models

“…Líbalová et al (2014) reported strong upregulation of CYP1A1 and 1B1 gene expression upon exposure of human lung A549 cells to the extractable organic matters (EOMs) from the respirable fraction of airborne PM2.5 particles (< 2.5 µm) from three heavily polluted areas of the Czech Republic. Libalova et al (2016) demonstrated a considerable increase of CYP1A1 and 1B1 mRNA upon exposure of BEAS-2B cell line to diesel exhaust particles and Rynning et al (2018) demonstrated increases of the same CYPs mRNAs in HBEC3 (human bronchial epithelial cell line) upon exposure to diesel exhaust particles. Longhin et al (2016) observed increases in the mRNA levels of AKR1C1, 1C2 and 1C3 upon exposure of the BEAS-2B human lung cancer cell line to urban particulate matter and Libalova et al (2016) demonstrated in BEAS-2B cells a considerable increase of AKR1C2, 1C3 and 1C4 mRNA upon treatment with diesel exhaust particles.…”