Relationship between inflammatory response of airborne particles and asthma

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K12271
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 63040:Environmental impact assessment-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto Pharmaceutical University
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Tetsushi 京都薬科大学, 薬学部, 教授 (90182930)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 松本 崇宏 京都薬科大学, 薬学部, 助教 (30780431)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: PM2.5 / PM10 / 上皮サイトカイン / IL-33 / TSLP

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We clarified that airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) collected for one-year period in Sasebo City showed interleukin-33 gene promoter activity, and that this activity was significantly positively correlated with the concentration of endotoxin in PM2.5. On the other hand, no significant association was found between the gene promoter activity and the number of asthma attack patients who visited the emergency department during the same period. We generated airway epithelial cells to measure the promoter activity of the thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) gene, and found that all extracts of airborne particulate matter (PM10) collected for one-year period in Kyoto and Sasebo showed the promoter activity, and these promoter activities were significantly positively correlated with the concentrations of protein and other parameters in the PM10.

Free Research Field

公衆衛生学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、健康影響が懸念される大気粉塵の炎症反応誘発性に関する新たな測定法と炎症反応誘発性に関する情報を社会に提供することができた。また、本測定法により、大気粉塵の喘息発作誘発に関するメカニズムについて新たな知見を得ることができると考えられる。今後、大気中のエンドトキシン、真菌、酸化ストレス誘発物質と喘息発作の関連性について新たな知見が得られ、喘息発作の予防のための貴重な情報を社会に提供できると期待される。