Mechanistic Insights into the Role of Iron, Copper, and Carbonaceous Component on the Oxidative Potential of Ultrafine Particulate Matter

Transition metals play a key role in the pathogenic potential of urban particulate matter (PM). However, air quality regulations include exposure limits only for metals having a known toxic potential like Pb, As, Cd, and Ni, neglecting other transition metals like Fe and Cu. Fe and Cu are mainly found in the water-soluble fraction of PM. However, a fraction of the ions may persist strongly bound to the particles, thus potentially acting as surface reactive sites. The contribution of surface ions to the oxidative potential (OP) of PM is likely different from that of free ions since the redox activity of metals is modulated by their local chemical environment. The aim of this study was to investigate how Fe and Cu bound to carbonaceous particles affect the OP and associated toxicity of PM toward epithelial cells and macrophages. Carbonaceous nanoparticles (CNPs) having well-defined size were loaded with controlled amounts of Cu and Fe. The effect of Cu and Fe on the OP of CNPs was evaluated by electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy associated with the spin-trapping technique and correlated with the ability to induce cytotoxicity (LDH, WST-1), oxidative stress (Nrf2 translocation), and DNA damage (comet assay) on lung macrophages (NR8383) and/or epithelial cells (RLE-6TN). The release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, MCP-1, and CXCL2) by macrophages and epithelial cells was also investigated. The results indicate a major contribution of surface Cu to the surface reactivity of CNPs, while Fe has a minor role. At the same time, Cu increases the cytotoxicity of CNPs and their ability to induce oxidative stress and DNA damage. In contrast, surface Fe increases the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines by macrophages. Overall, these results confirm the role of Cu and Fe in PM toxicity and suggest that the total metals content in PM might be a better indicator of pathogenicity than water-soluble metals.