Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in different indoor dusts and their potential cytotoxicity based on two human cell lines

Yuan Kang, Kwai Chung Cheung*, Ming H. Wong

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

91 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study, 55 air-conditioner filter dust samples from six different workplaces including commercial office, secondary school, shopping mall, hospital, electronic factory and manufacturing plant in Hong Kong were collected for analyses of PAH concentration and cytotoxicity. Chemical analyses showed that the total PAHs ranged from 1.17 to 25.5μg/g, with the dust samples from manufacturing plant having the highest concentration. MTT (3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrasodium bromide) assay was performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of organic dust extracts using human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2) and human skin keratinocyte cell line (KERTr). Each organic dust extract showed marked dose-related response. Dust samples from the manufacturing plant showed the highest cytotoxicity. Curve estimation indicated that power model was fit for explaining the relationship between the total PAH concentration and lethal concentration 50 (LC50). In addition, a significant negative correlation was observed between the total PAH concentration and LC50 both on HepG2 (r=-0.65, p<0.01) and KERTr (r=-0.63, p<0.01) cell lines. Source analyses demonstrated that the PAHs in dust were derived from pyrogenic origins.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)542-547
Number of pages6
JournalEnvironment International
Volume36
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2010

Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Environmental Science

User-Defined Keywords

  • Air-conditioner filter dust
  • HepG2 cells
  • Hong Kong
  • KERTr cells
  • MTT assay

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