Densely populated cities with a compact urban built environment have concerns over health risks derived from high levels of airborne particulate matter (PM) exposure. Understanding the association between PM and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an important step towards unravelling the mechanisms behind. This study investigated the role of time-integrated PM sampling on cellular toxicity mechanism on a diurnal scale. The sampling took place in a highly urbanized part of Hong Kong at two contrast roadside and background sites, with simultaneous solid-PM and semi-volatile-PM (SV-PM) collection in both summer and winter seasons. A sampling day consisted three sampling intervals of 6 h each – 04:00–10:00, 12:00–18:00 and 20:00–02:00 h, representing morning rush hours, afternoon and night periods, respectively. Water and organic extracts of PM were prepared, with and without filtration, and exposed to RAW264.7 and A549 cell lines on a dose and time-dependent manner. Solid-PM and SV-PM contribution to total PM₂.₅ mass concentration was 9:1, with much higher SV-PM fraction at roadside over urban background (p < 0.001, n = 36). Also, the SV-PM mass concentration increased by 10–20% during 20:00–02:00 h compared to morning and afternoon sampling periods. Organic PM extract was observed to cause 23–29% higher cell death compared to water-soluble PM, which is complemented with increased ROS production in both cell lines. The cellular damage caused by oxidative stress, determined from increased HO-1 and TNF-α expression in RAW264.7 was higher compared to the A549, which demonstrated the greater induction of toxicity from organic PM extract over soluble PM. Similarly, the SV-PM induced greater than 2-fold cellular ROS generation on PM mass basis compared to solid-PM. Lack of phagocytic action in A549 compared to RAW264.7 suggested novel toxicity routes for water-soluble and organic PM that can be expected to occur during human PM inhalation-bronchi-alveolar exposure.

The oriental river prawn, Macrobrachium nipponense, is an important breeding species in China. The ovary development of this prawn is regulated by the genetic factors and external environmental factors and has obvious seasonal regularity. However, the molecular mechanism of regulating ovary degradation in M. nipponense remains unclear. To address this issue, we performed transcriptome sequencing and gene expression analyses of eyestalks, cerebral ganglia (CG) and thoracic ganglia (TG) of female M. nipponense between the full ovary stage and degenerate ovary stage. Differentially expressed genes enrichment analysis results identified several important pathways such as “phototransduction-fly,” “circadian rhythm-fly” and “steroid hormone biosynthesis secretion.” In the period of ovarian degeneration, the expressions of Tim, Per2 and red pigment concentration hormone (RPCH) were significantly decreased in the eyestalk, CG and TG. And expression of 7 genes in the steroid synthesis pathway, including steryl-sulfatase, cytochrome P450 family 1 subfamily A polypeptide 1, estradiol 17β-dehydrogenase 2, glucuronosyltransferase, 3-oxo-5-alpha-steroid 4-dehydrogenase 1, estradiol 17-dehydrogenase 1 and estrone sulfotransferase was significantly decreased in the CG. Food and light signals affect the expression of clock genes and thereby decrease the expression of RPCH and the estradiol synthesis-related genes in the nervous system, which may be the main cause of ovarian degeneration in M. nipponense. The results will contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ovarian development regulation in crustaceans.

This work investigates the absorption properties of soluble brown carbon (BrC), extracted in methanol and water, from ambient aerosol (PM₁₀) samples, collected over an urban background site in Mumbai, India. The diurnal variability was investigated in samples collected in the morning (7–11 a.m.) and afternoon (12–4 p.m.) periods. Absorption properties of BrC (in the 300–600-nm wavelength range) were measured in filter extracts of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and methanol-soluble organic carbon (MSOC). WSOC and MSOC accounted for on average 52% and 77%, respectively, of the measured OC, potentially indicating unextracted BrC and rendering these values the lower bound. Compared with afternoon samples, the morning samples of MSOC and WSOC had increased BrC concentrations and absorption coefficients (bₐbₛ365; 40%–65%). The correlation between bₐbₛ365 and EC, ns-K⁺, and NO₃⁻ in the morning samples indicated contributions from primary sources, including both biomass and vehicular sources. The decreased bₐbₛ365 in the afternoon samples was partly explained by mixing layer dilution, accompanied by a reduction in the concentrations of primary aerosol constituents. Furthermore, in the afternoon samples, ¹HNMR spectroscopy revealed the presence of more oxidized functional groups and significantly higher OC/EC and WSOC/OC ratios, indicating the greater aging of afternoon aerosol. The MAC₃₆₅ (m²gC⁻¹) for both WSOC and MSOC extracts decreased significantly by 20%–34% in the afternoon samples compared with the morning samples, indicating degradation in the absorption properties of the particles and potentially a change in the constituent BrC chromophores.

Biomass burning (BB) is one of the largest sources of carbonaceous aerosols with adverse impacts on air quality, visibility, health and climate. BB emits a few specific aromatic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, syringic and dehydroabietic acids) which have been widely used as key indicators for source identification of BB-derived carbonaceous aerosols in various environmental matrices. In addition, measurement of p-hydroxybenzoic and vanillic acids in snow and ice cores have revealed the historical records of the fire emissions. Despite their uniqueness and importance as tracers, our current understanding of analytical methods, concentrations, diagnostic ratios and degradation processes are rather limited and scattered in literature. In this review paper, firstly we have summarized the most established methods and protocols for the measurement of these aromatic acids in aerosols and ice cores. Secondly, we have highlighted the geographical variability in the abundances of these acids, their diagnostic ratios and degradation processes in the environments. The review of the existing data indicates that the concentrations of aromatic acids in aerosols vary greatly with locations worldwide, typically more abundant in urban atmosphere where biomass fuels are commonly used for residential heating and/or cooking purposes. In contrast, their concentrations are lowest in the polar regions which are avoid of localized emissions and largely influenced by long-range transport. The diagnostic ratios among aromatic acids can be used as good indicators for the relative amounts and types of biomass (e.g. hardwood, softwood and herbaceous plants) as well as photochemical oxidation processes. Although studies suggest that the degradation processes of the aromatic acids may be controlled by light, pH and hygroscopicity, a more careful investigation, including closed chamber studies, is highly appreciated.

Microplastics (MPs) in the environment have become an issue worldwide. However, data about MPs in freshwater systems are still limited so far. This study investigated sources, fate, and seasonal and spatial distribution of MPs in the main stream Pearl River and its tributaries, as well as in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), China. MPs were widely detected in the river water, river bed sediment, and estuarine sediment, with abundances of 0.57 ± 0.71 items L⁻¹, 685 ± 342 items kg⁻¹ dry weight (dw), and 258 ± 133 items kg⁻¹ dw, respectively. Sheet, fragmental, and fibrous polyethylene, polypropylene, and ethylene-propylene copolymers were predominant, suggesting that MPs in the Pearl River catchment be mainly derived from fragmentation of discarded plastic wastes. In addition, municipal wastewater was also an important MPs source, especially for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers. Polymers of higher density, such as PET and polyvinyl alcohol were relatively more abundant in the sediment than in the river water, especially in the estuarine sediment. Upward increase of the MP abundance was observed in the sedimentary core, probably indicating increasing release of plastic wastes due to growing production and uses of plastic products. On the other hand, percentage of finer MPs increased with increasing depth. The results revealed persistence and potential downward dispersion of the fine MPs. The MPs abundance was positively related with population density and gross domestic product, demonstrating impacts of human activities and economic development on the MPs contamination. Higher MPs abundance was detected in dry season than in wet season in the river water, suggesting dilution effect of precipitation. It's estimated that 15963 tons of MPs could be released annually into the PRE from the main stream Pearl River and its tributaries.

In the present study, the competitive adsorption of Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Cd²⁺ by a novel natural adsorbent (i.e., argillaceous limestone) modified with chitosan (C-AL) was investigated. The results demonstrated that both intraparticle diffusion and chemisorption marked significant contributions to the Cu²⁺ adsorption process by both raw argillaceous limestone (R-AL) and C-AL in mono-metal adsorption systems. Antagonism was found to be the predominant competitive effect for Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ adsorptions by C-AL in the multi-metal adsorption system. The three-dimensional simulation and FTIR analysis revealed that the presence of Cu²⁺ suppressed Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ adsorptions, while the effect of Cd²⁺ on Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ adsorptions was insignificant. The spectroscopic analyses evidenced that amide groups in C-AL played a crucial role in metal adsorption. The preferential adsorptions of Pb²⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Cd²⁺ were likely due to the different affinities of the metals to the lone pair of electrons on the N atom from the amide groups and/or the O atoms from the –OH and -COO⁻ groups on C-AL. The interactions between C-AL and metal ions and between various metal species influenced their competitive adsorption behaviors. C-AL exhibited a superior metal adsorption capacity in comparison with that the capacities of other natural adsorbents reported during the last decade, suggesting its potential practical applications.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a family of synthetic, fluorinated organic compounds. They have been widely used in industrial applications and consumer products and widespread in the environment, wildlife and human. Experimental and epidemiologic evidence suggested that PFASs are capable of interfering with endocrine processes and have potential reproductive and developmental toxicities. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), one of the main reasons of female infertility, is a common endocrine disorder in reproductive age women. We performed a case-control study to evaluate associations between PCOS-related infertility and PFASs concentrations in plasma. A total of 180 infertile PCOS-cases and 187 healthy controls were recruited from the Center for Reproductive Medicine of Shandong University. Blood specimens were collected at enrollment and analyzed for ten PFASs using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multivariable logistic regression procedure was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each PFAS. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were the dominant PFASs in the plasma of participants, with the median concentration of 5.07 ng/mL and 4.05 ng/mL, respectively. The median levels of individual PFAS were not significantly different between PCOS-cases and controls. While adjusted for the potential confounders (age, BMI, household income, education level, employment status, age at menarche, menstrual volume), the plasma concentration of perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), a 12 carbons lengths of perfluorocarboxylic acids, was associated with a significantly increased risk of PCOS-related infertility (medium vs low tertile: OR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.12, 4.99, P = 0.02; high vs low tertile: OR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.19, 7.67, P = 0.02), with the P trend 0.01. No significant relationship was observed between PCOS-related infertility and other PFAS analytes in the adjusted model, despite perfluoroundecanoic acid showed a negative association (P trend 0.03). The potential reproductive health effects of PFASs and the underlying mechanisms merit further investigation in the future.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, one of the most popular herbicides in the world, and its toxicity has caused increasing concerns. The present study aims to investigate the toxic effects of prenatal exposure to pure glyphosate or Roundup on lipid metabolism in offspring. During gestational days (GDs), ICR mice (from Institute of Cancer Research) were given distilled water, 0.5% glyphosate solution (w/v, 0.5 g/100 ml) or 0.5%-glyphosate Roundup solution orally. The livers and serum samples of the offspring were collected on gestational day 19 (GD19), postnatal day 7 (PND7) and PND21. The results showed a significant decrease in the body weight and obvious hepatic steatosis with excessive lipid droplet formation in offspring. Moreover, the concentrations of lipids such as triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (T-CHO), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterols (LDL-C) increased to a significant extent in both the serum and livers. Furthermore, there were significant differences in the expression levels of the genes SREBP1C, SREBP2, Fasn, Hmgcr, Hmgcs and PPARα, which are related to lipid biosynthesis or catabolism in the liver. These results demonstrate that chronic prenatal exposure to glyphosate can result in lipid metabolism disruption in the offspring of mice, as glyphosate exerts a negative influence on the expression of lipogenesis genes.

In the study, the effects of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) on the antioxidant defense capacity and immune functions of human erythrocytes were experimentally explored. DMP affected the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and the contents of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in erythrocytes, thus impairing the function of antioxidant defense system of erythrocytes. When DMP concentration increased from 0 to 28 μmol L⁻¹, the SOD and GPX activities were increased firstly and then gradually decreased. When DMP concentration was below 20 μmol L⁻¹, the relative activity of SOD was enhanced by DMP and the effect was known as hormesis. The relative activity of GPX was also increased when the concentration of DMP was below 12 μmol L⁻¹. The CAT activity was more significantly inhibited by DMP than the activities of SOD and GPX, whereas the relative GSH content was increased by DMP. MDA levels were significantly changed after the exposure to DMP (0–24 μmol L⁻¹). The experimental results of the activity of SOD and CAT, and the content of MDA also suggested that DMP could inhibit the immune functions of red blood cells (RBCs), which were further proved by the decrease of two indicators (RBC-C₃b and RBC-IC) due to the destruction of C₃b receptor with immune adherence function on erythrocyte membrane. The study provides a deep understanding of the toxicity of DMP on erythrocytes.

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) pollution levels and human health risks resulting from exposure to non-anthropogenic pollution sources, such as coal mine-fires, are serious global issues. The toxicity of PM₁₀-bound metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was assessed according to their non-cancer and cancer risks (CRs) at the mine-fire and in an adjacent city area. Health risks were estimated for inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption pathways. The non-cancer risks, presented in terms of the hazard index (HI) and hazard quotient (HQ), were found to be significant (>1) at all locations, except in the mining (for HQ-dermal) and city background area (for HQ-ingestion and HQ-dermal) in children and adults, respectively. The total CR was estimated to be highest at the city nearby the mine-fire area (3.31E-02 and 1.93E-02) followed by the mine-fire area (2.66E-02 and 1.71E-02) for children and adults, respectively. The total CR and CR via individual exposure routes were estimated to be in the high risk (10⁻³ ≤ CR < 10⁻¹) category at the mine-fire site and adjacent city area. For all exposures, CR levels were calculated to be higher than the acceptable range (from 1.00E-06 to 1.00E-04), except for the CR-inhalation level at the A5 location. Among all elements, Cd and BaPₑqᵤ were more significant for the CR at the coal mine-fire and the adjacent city area. Hence, this study concluded that non-anthropogenic sources, such as coal mine-fires, could be part for the significant health risk (carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic) levels in the study area.