Metabolic impact induced by total, water soluble and insoluble components of PM2.5 acute exposure in mice

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been listed as an important environmental risk factor for human health. However, the systemic biological effects on metabolic responses induced by PM2.5 and its components were poorly understood. This study was aimed to evaluate the toxicity of different components of PM2.5 at molecular level via metabolomics approach. In the present study, we adopted a 1H NMR-based metabolomics approach to evaluate metabolic profiles in mice after acute exposure to Total-PM2.5, water soluble components of PM2.5 (WS-PM2.5) and water insoluble components of PM2.5 (WIS-PM2.5). First, we characterized the morphological features and chemical composition of PM2.5. Then, the metabolites changes of serum and urine in mice were systematically analyzed using 800 MHz 1H NMR techniques in combination with multivariate statistical analysis. Total-PM2.5 exposure affected metabolites mainly involved in amino acid metabolism, protein biosynthesis, energy metabolism and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. WS-PM2.5 exposure influenced lipid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism. WIS-PM2.5 exposure mainly perturbed amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism. The results suggested that acute exposure to the Total-PM2.5, WS-PM2.5 and WIS-PM2.5 in mice exhibited marked systemic metabolic changes. In addition, the insoluble fraction of PM2.5 contributed greatly to the toxicity of PM2.5.