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Exposure to particulate matter (PM) is associated with various health effects. Physico-chemical properties influence the toxicological impact of PM, nonetheless the mechanisms underlying PM-induced effects are not completely understood.

Human bronchial epithelial cells were used to analyse the pathways activated after exposure to summer and winter urban PM and to identify possible markers of exposure.

BEAS-2B cells were exposed for 24 h to 10 μg/cm² of winter PM2.5 (wPM) and summer PM10 (sPM) sampled in Milan. A microarray technology was used to profile the cells gene expression. Genes and microRNAs were analyzed by bioinformatics technique to identify pathways involved in cellular responses. Selected genes and pathways were validated at protein level (western blot, membrane protein arrays and ELISA).

The molecular networks activated by the two PM …