Effects of Coal Fly Ash Particulate Matter on the Antimicrobial Activity of Airway Surface Liquid.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sustained exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) is a global cause of mortality. Coal fly ash (CFA) is a byproduct of coal combustion and is a source of anthropogenic PM with worldwide health relevance. The airway epithelia are lined with fluid called airway surface liquid (ASL), which contains antimicrobial proteins and peptides (AMPs). Cationic AMPs bind negatively charged bacteria to exert their antimicrobial activity. PM arriving in the airways could potentially interact with AMPs in the ASL to affect their antimicrobial activity.

Objectives

We hypothesized that PM can interact with ASL AMPs to impair their antimicrobial activity.

Methods

We exposed pig and human airway explants, pig and human ASL, and the human cationic AMPs β-defensin-3, LL-37, a

SUBMITTER: Vargas Buonfiglio LG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5744695 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature