Huilin Chen,Maomao Xie,Wenjie Li,Lipin Tan,Xiaoming Cai,Mingjing Shen,Ruibin Li
The extensive use of synthetic antioxidants, notably N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl- p -phenylenediamine (6-PPD), in rubber-related products, particularly in tire manufacturing, has induced concerns regarding their environmental impact and potential health hazards. Despite the identification of 6-PPD and its derivative, 6-PPD quinone (6-PPDQ), in various water samples and their lethal effects on certain aquatic species ( e.g. , coho salmon, rainbow trout and brook trout), the levels of airborne 6-PPD/6-PPDQ and their respiratory toxicity remain relatively unexplored. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the respiratory toxicity potential of 6-PPD and its derivatives, with a specific focus on detecting these compounds in airborne particulates and assessing their toxic effects on lung cells. Characterization of four airborne fine particulate (FP) samples revealed spherical morphologies with diameters ranging from 17.7 to 225.7 nm, displaying slight agglomeration and negative surface charge. methanol/acetonitrile extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis confirmed the presence of both 6-PPD and 6-PPDQ on the surfaces of FPs, with significant variations (0.26–1.05 μg g −1 ) in loading capacity observed among the samples. Subsequent exposure of lung cells (THP-1, BEAS-2B, and A549) to 6-PPD and 6-PPDQ revealed dose-dependent declines in mitochondrial metabolic activity induced by 6-PPD, along with severe membrane damage, ATP depletion, and pro-inflammatory cytokine release. Conversely, 6-PPDQ exhibited negligible toxicity in all tested parameters. These findings underscore the potential health risks associated with airborne 6-PPD exposure and emphasize the importance of further research into the respiratory toxicity of 6-PPD derivatives.
2-((4-Methylpentan-2-yl)amino)-5-(phenylamino)cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione (6-PPDQ) is the ozonation product of 6-PPD, a commonly used tire preservative. Although the 6-PPDQ has been frequently detected in different environmental ecosystems, its long-term effects on organisms remain still largely unknown. We here used Caenorhabditis elegans as an experimental animal to investigate the toxic effect of prolonged exposure to 6-PPDQ (0.1–100 μg/L). After the exposure, we found that 100 μg/L 6-PPDQ caused the lethality . We further selected concentrations of 0.1–10 μg/L to examine the possible intestinal toxicity induced by 6-PPDQ. Although 0.1–10 μg/L 6-PPDQ could not influence intestinal morphology, the intestinal permeability was significantly enhanced by 1–10 μg/L 6-PPDQ as indicated by erioglaucine disodium staining. In addition, the expression of intestinal fatty acid transporter ACS-22 governing functional state of intestinal barrier was decreased by exposure to 1–10 μg/L 6-PPDQ. Meanwhile, intestinal reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was induced by 0.1–10 μg/L 6-PPDQ and lipofuscin accumulation reflected by intestinal autofluorescence was activated by 1–10 μg/L 6-PPDQ. Accompanied with activation of intestinal oxidative stress , expressions of some anti-oxidation related genes ( ctl-2 , sod-2 , sod-3 , and sod-4 ) were significantly increased by 0.1–10 μg/L 6-PPDQ. Moreover, intestinal RNAi of acs-22 strengthened the susceptibility of nematodes to intestinal toxicity of 6-PPDQ. Therefore, considering that the environmentally relevant concentrations of 6-PPDQ were ≤10 μg/L, our data suggested that long-term exposure to 6-PPDQ at environmentally relevant concentrations potentially results in intestinal toxicity by disrupting functional state of intestinal barrier in organisms.