Evidence for cytotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction in human lung cells exposed to biomass burning aerosol constituents: Levoglucosan and 4-nitrocatechol

Biomass burning (BB) emissions are one of the largest sources of carbonaceous aerosol, posing a significant risk as an airway irritant. Important BB markers include wood pyrolysis emissions, such as levoglucosan (LG) that is an anhydrous sugar bearing a six-carbon ring structure (i.e., 1,6-anhydro-β-D-glucopyranose). Atmospheric chemical aging of BB-derived aerosol (BBA) in the presence of nitrogen oxides (NOx) can yield nitro-aromatic compounds, including 4-nitrocatechol (4NC). There is building evidence that NOx-mediated chemical aging of BBA poses a more serious exposure effect than primary pyrolysis emissions. This study provides a comparative toxicological assessment following the exposure to important BBA marker compounds in human lung cells (i.e., A549 and BEAS-2B) to determine whether aromatic 4NC is more toxic than BBA-bound anhydrous carbohydrate (i.e., LG). We determined inhibitory concentration-50 (IC50) and examined reactive oxygen species (ROS) changes, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis induction in the two cell lines following exposure to LG and 4NC in a dose-response manner. In the BEAS-2B cells, estimated IC50 values for 4NC were 33 and 8.8 μg mL−1, and for LG were 2546 and ∼3 × 107 μg mL−1 at 24 h and 48 h of exposure, respectively. A549 cells exhibited a much higher IC50 value than BEAS-2B cells. LG exposures resulted in mitochondrial stress with viability inhibition, but cells recovered with increasing exposure time. 4NC exposures at 200 μg mL−1 resulted in the induction of apoptosis at 6 h. Mitochondrial dysfunction and ROS imbalance induced the intrinsic apoptotic pathway induction following 4NC exposures. While increased ROS is caused by LG exposure in lung cells, 4NC is a marker of concern during BB emissions, as we observed apoptosis and high mitochondrial ROS in both lung cells at atmospherically-relevant aerosol concentrations. It may be associated with higher airway or inhalation pathologies in higher BBA emissions, such as wildfires or during wood combustion. [Display omitted] •Mitochondrial dysfunction occurred in 4NC-exposed BEAS-2B and A549 cells.•IC50 values for 4NC-exposed cells were lower than for LG-exposed cells.•LG-exposed BEAS-2B cells revealed mitochondrial ROS build-up at 12–24 h.•4NC-exposed BEAS-2B cells undergo apoptosis at 6–48 h.