An instrument for direct exposure of cell cultures to airborne particulate matter

描述(由申请人提供)：细胞培养研究允许空气污染研究人员评估毒理学结果，稍后可用于人体暴露模型和风险评估研究。然而，只有少数几个收集系统允许细胞直接接触周围的污染物。所有这些系统，由于其庞大和复杂，都是实验室设备，不容易部署用于实地研究。在这个项目中，我们提出了一种更直接、更快速地评估空气颗粒物(PM)体外毒性的新方法。主要目标是开发一种新的采样系统，允许细胞直接、实时地暴露在PM中，从而减少采样伪影的程度以及在细胞暴露之前的样品处理。与现有系统相比，这一新系统的优势在于它利用水基颗粒生长来有效地收集和沉积空气动力学直径从5 nm到5？m的颗粒。该技术还避免了与其他颗粒收集系统相关的最常见的问题，即在细胞暴露之前改变颗粒的物理、化学和毒理学性质的可能性。此外，该装置体积小，功耗要求低，适合实验室工作和现场部署。这种方法为细胞直接暴露研究提供了一种新的选择。在研究细胞对PM暴露的反应时，它提供了更准确的结果，从而更好地理解了与暴露于环境污染物相关的可能的不利后果。我们的目标将通过完成以下具体目标来实现：i)调整现有的收集室，以保持适合存活和健康细胞的环境条件；以及ii)进行实验室受控暴露研究，以评估我们的方法是否导致可识别的生物反应和细胞毒性。总而言之，我们的设备将成熟的技术与创新的应用结合在一起，提供了将细胞直接暴露于空气中颗粒物的手段，并更准确地测量了与暴露于空气中PM相关的代谢反应

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cell culture studies allow air pollution researchers to assess toxicological outcomes that can be later used in human exposure models and risk assessment studies. However, there are only a few collection systems that allow direct cellular exposure to ambient pollutants. All these systems, due to their large size and complexity, are laboratory devices and cannot be deployed easily for field studies. In this project we propose a new approach for a more direct and faster assessment of in-vitro toxicity of airborne particulate matter (PM). The main objective is to develop a new sampling system that allows direct, real-time exposure of cells to PM, which reduces the extent of sampling artifacts as well as sample manipulation prior to cell exposure. The advantage of this new system compared with the existing ones is that it uses water-based particle growth for efficient collection and deposition o particles with aerodynamic diameters ranging from 5 nm to 5 ?m. This technology also avoids the most common problem associated with other particle collection systems, the possibility of changing the physical, chemical and toxicological properties of the particles prior to cell exposure. In addition, its small size and low power requirements make the device suitable for both laboratory work and field deployment. The approach offers a new alternative for direct cellular exposure studies. It provides more accurate results when studying cellular responses to PM exposure and thus a better understanding of the possible adverse outcomes related with exposure to ambient pollutants. Our goal will be achieved by completing the following specific aims: i) adapt the existing collection chamber to maintain environmental conditions suitable for viable and healthy cells; and ii) conduct laboratory controlled exposure studies to evaluate whether our approach leads to identifiable biological responses and cell toxicity. In summary, our device brings together a well established technology with innovative applications, providing the means to expose cells directly to airborne particles, and to measure more accurately metabolic responses associated with exposure to airborne PM.