A study on the Cytotoxicity of Water-Soluble Metal species from incense emission

• Main Authors: Pei-ChihChang, 張倍芝
• Other Authors: Da-Chang Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/68938339545203654795

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 環境工程學系碩博士班 === 98 === Burning of Chinese incense for worshipping ancestors and divinity has been important activity in Chinese community. Despite of every festival and activities hold in temples, incense is burned in home as religious daily rituals. Combustion of incense will emit small and unnoticeable aerosols and particles which affect the health of respiratory passages and human lungs. Previous research works mainly focus on the discussion about size of suspended particulate, types of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and cytotoxicity of PAHs during emission of aerosol when burning Chinese incense. In this research, human lung cells were used as basic cell culture in test of cytotoxicity on water soluble metal species in exposure assessment other than tests such as Ames test and Microtox. Two analytical methods in detecting metal content exposed to human lungs were used. Significant difference in metal content was shown between traditional microwave digestions and extraction of metals using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). PBS extraction could simulate osmolarity and pH value in respiratory passages and therefore represented realistic exposure metal content in lungs leached from body fluid. It was used as extraction procedure on metal in this study. Two types of Taiwanese made incense with three different lengths respectively were chosen for evaluation of water soluble metal species emitted from burning Chinese incense on cytotoxicity. The incense was burned in experimental chamber and samples using PBS extraction. Sampled filtrate then carried out ICP-OES measurement on metal content. Ordinary human cell in bronchus, known as Beas-2B, was used to conduct cytotoxicity assay including MTT Assay, Comet Assay and oxidative stress. The results derived the thickness and different types of incense would affect the temperature during combustion. The burning temperature was in the order of : TS3 ＞ TS2 ＞ TS1 and TL3 ＞ TL2 ＞ TL1. From cell viability assay, the thickness of incense did not cause significant influence of cytotoxicity towards human cell in bronchus. However, different types of incense revealed significant results with TS having higher cell culture cytotoxicity than TL. Further analyzing extracted metal composition from exposed cell discovered TS contained high Zinc (Zn) content. Verified through reactive oxygen species assay, the results concluded cell death was mainly caused by the formation of reactive oxidative species when Zn was oxidized. The formation of such species increased cell oxidative stress and resulted cell death.