Impacts of combined exposure to formaldehyde and PM2.5 at ambient concentrations on airway inflammation in mice

Asthma is a respiratory disease that can be exacerbated by certain environmental factors. Both formaldehyde (FA) and PM2.5, the most common indoor and outdoor air pollutants in mainland China, are closely associated with the onset and development of asthma. To date, however, there is very little report available on whether there is an exacerbating effect of combined exposure to FA and PM2.5 at ambient concentrations. In this study, asthmatic mice were exposed to 1 mg/m3 FA, 1 mg/kg PM2.5, or a combination of 0.5 mg/m3 FA and 0.5 mg/kg PM2.5, respectively. Results demonstrated that both levels of oxidative stress and inflammation were significantly increased, accompanied by an obvious decline in lung function. Further, the initial activation of p38 MAPK and NF-kappa B that intensified the immune imbalance of asthmatic mice were found to be visibly mitigated following the administration of SB203580, a p38 MAPK inhibitor. Noteworthily, it was found that combined exposure to the two at ambient concentrations could significantly worsen asthma than exposure to each of the two alone at twice the ambient concentration. This suggests that combined exposure to formaldehyde and PM2.5 at ambient concentrations may have a synergistic effect, thus causing more severe damage in asthmatic mice. In general, this work has revealed that the combined exposure to FA and PM2.5 at ambient concentrations can synergistically aggravate asthma via the p38 MAPK pathway in mice.