Despite numerous reports that ambient particulate matter is a key determinant for human health, toxicity data produced based on physicochemical properties of particulate matters is very lack, suggesting lack of scientific evidence for regulation. In this study, we sampled inhalable particulate matters (PM10) in northern Seoul, Korea. PM10 showed atypical- and fiber-type particles with the average size and the surface charge of 1,598.1 ± 128.7 nm and -27.5 ± 2.8, respectively, and various toxic elements were detected in the water extract. On day 90 after the first pulmonary exposure, total cell number dose-dependently increased in the lungs of both sexes of mice. PM10 induced Th1-dominant immune response with pathological changes in both sexes of mice. Meanwhile, composition of total cells and expression of proteins which functions in cell-to-cell communication showed different trends between sexes. Following, male and female mice were mated to identify effects of PM10 to the next generation. PM10 remained in the lung of dams until day 21 after birth, and the levels of IgA and IgE increased in the blood of dams exposed to the maximum dose compared to control. In addition, the interval between births of fetuses, the number of offspring, the neonatal survival rate (day 4 after birth) and the sex ratio seemed to be affected at the maximum dose, and particularly, all offspring from one dam were stillborn. In addition, expression of HIF-1α protein increased in the lung tissue of dams exposed to PM10, and level of hypoxia-related proteins was notably enhanced in PM10-exposed bronchial epithelial cells compared to control. Taken together, we suggest that inhaled PM10 may induce Th1-shifting immune response in the lung, and that it may affect reproduction (fetus development) by causing lung hypoxia. Additionally, we propose that further study is needed to identify particle-size-dependent effects on development of the next generation.

中文翻译：

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PM10对肺免疫反应和胎儿发育的影响

尽管有大量报告称环境颗粒物是人类健康的关键决定因素，但基于颗粒物理化特性​​产生的毒性数据非常缺乏，这表明缺乏监管的科学证据。在这项研究中，我们对韩国首尔北部的可吸入颗粒物 (PM10) 进行了采样。PM10 显示非典型和纤维型颗粒，平均尺寸和表面电荷分别为 1,598.1 ± 128.7 nm 和 -27.5 ± 2.8，并且在水提取物中检测到各种有毒元素。在第一次肺部暴露后第 90 天，小鼠两性肺部的总细胞数呈剂量依赖性增加。PM10 在小鼠的两性中诱导 Th1 主导的免疫反应和病理变化。同时，总细胞的组成和在细胞间通讯中起作用的蛋白质的表达在性别之间显示出不同的趋势。随后，雄性和雌性小鼠交配以确定 PM10 对下一代的影响。PM10 保留在水坝的肺中直到出生后第 21 天，与对照相比，暴露于最大剂量的水坝血液中的 IgA 和 IgE 水平增加。此外，在最大剂量下，胎儿的出生间隔、后代数量、新生儿存活率（出生后第 4 天）和性别比似乎受到影响，尤其是一头母猪的所有后代都是死胎。此外，暴露于 PM10 的水坝肺组织中 HIF-1α 蛋白的表达增加，与对照相比，暴露于 PM10 的支气管上皮细胞中缺氧相关蛋白的水平显着增强。总之，我们认为吸入的 PM10 可能会诱导肺中的 Th1 转移免疫反应，并且它可能通过导致肺缺氧影响生殖（胎儿发育）。此外，我们建议需要进一步研究以确定对下一代发展的粒径依赖性影响。