You are here:
LIPIDOMICS: A POSSIBLE TOOL FOR THE BIO-MONITORING OF SPECIFIC AIR POLLUTANTS
Citation:
MADDEN, M. C. AND K. SAWYER. LIPIDOMICS: A POSSIBLE TOOL FOR THE BIO-MONITORING OF SPECIFIC AIR POLLUTANTS. Presented at Public Health Applications of Human Biomonitoring, Research Triangle Park, NC, September 24 - 25, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
The findings from these in vitro exposure studies will help determine whether lipidomics has the potential, based in part on the specificity of the lipid fingerprint, to be used as a biomonitoring tool for exposures to air pollutants.
Description:
Lipidomics examines comprehensive lipid changes in biological systems (whole organisms or individual cells) as biomarkers of effect. Lipidomics is part of the larger field of metabolomics, which examines the specificity and magnitude of perturbations induced by agents, such as air pollutants, on endogenous metabolite levels. Additionally, metabolomics may provide insights on pollutant-induced mechanisms of action that induce a specific response. We are using lipidomics to examine whether air pollutant exposure induces relatively specific changes to lung cell lipids (a lipid “fingerprint”), and whether the induced lipid alterations are associated with cellular immune and inflammatory responses. To study these issues, human alveolar macrophages (AM) were collected by bronchoalveolar lavage from healthy adult volunteers. Preliminary experiments indicated that 2 x 106 AM is an optimal sample size for detecting most lipid species (242 out of 349 analyzed species). AM polar lipids were isolated by a standard Bligh and Dyer chloroform-methanol extraction method, and lipids were measured by a GS/MS/ESI technique. AM were incubated with diesel exhaust particles, urban ambient air particles, or carbon black particles for up to 6 hr to determine the specificity of lipid responses. Additionally, AM were incubated for up to 24 hr with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a well known stimulant for AM lipid turnover, as an additional control treatment. The findings from these in vitro exposure studies will help determine whether lipidomics has the potential, based in part on the specificity of the lipid fingerprint, to be used as a biomonitoring tool for exposures to air pollutants. [This abstract may not reflect US EPA policy.]