Transcriptomics changes and the candidate pathway in human macrophages induced by different PM2.5 extracts*

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a worldwide environmental problem and is posing a serious threat to human health. Until now, the molecular toxicological mechanisms and the crucial toxic components of PM2.5 remain to be clarified. This study investigated the whole transcriptomic changes in THP-1 derived macrophages treated with different types of PM2.5 extracts using RNA sequencing technique. Bioinformatics analyses covering biological functions, signal pathways, protein networks and node genes were performed to explore the candidate pathways and critical genes, and to find the potential molecular mechanisms. Results of Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway (KEGG), and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks revealed that water extracts (WEs) of PM2.5 obviously influenced genes and molecular pathways responded to oxidative stress and inflammation. Dichloromethane extracts (DEs) specifically affected genes and signal cascades related to cell cycle progress process. Furthermore, compared with WEs collected in heating season, nonheating season WEs induced much higher expression levels of Ca-associated genes (including phosphodiesterase 4B and cyclooxygenase-2), which may consequently result in more severe inflammatory responses. While, for DEs exposure, the heating season (DH) group showed extensive induction of deferentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to cell cycle pathway, which may be caused by the higher polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contents in DH samples than those from non-heating season. In conclusion, the oxidative stress and inflammation response are closely correlated with cellular responses in THP-1 derived macrophages induced by water soluble components of PM2.5, and cell cycle dysregulation may play an important role in biological effects induced by organic components. The different transcriptomic changes induced by seasonal PM2.5 extracts may partially depend on the contents of PAHs and metal ions, respectively.

Automated summary

PM2.5 is a global environmental issue that poses a serious threat to human health. Analysis of different PM2.5 extracts on macrophages revealed that water extracts influence oxidative stress and inflammation, while dichloromethane extracts are related to cell cycle processes. Seasonal variations in PM2.5 extracts may be influenced by contents of PAHs and metal ions, with potential implications for biological effects.