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Updated: Jan 8, 2026
An Air-liquid Interface Bronchial Epithelial Model for Realistic, Repeated Inhalation Exposure to Airborne Particles for Toxicity Testing
Published on: May 13, 2020
Phospholipid composition in small airway lining fluid among tunnel construction workers exposed to respirable
Mimmi Leite1,2, Per Larsson3, Spela Kokelj4
1National Institute of Occupational Health, Pb 5330 Majorstuen, Oslo, N-0304, Norway. mimmi.leite@stami.no.
Objective:
To explore if the phospholipid composition in the small airway lining fluid differed between a group of tunnel construction workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and a reference group.
Methods:
In total, 19 healthy, non-smoking workers under exposure to RCS and 21 unexposed referents from the same construction site were included. The participants underwent a health examination including lung function measurements and collection of exhaled particles (PEx) using the Particles in exhaled air (PExA) method. Analysis of PEx included determination of lipids. In total, 95 lipid species, primarily phospholipids, were determined. Non-parametric analyses (Wilcoxon rank-sum test and quantile regression), principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used for data analysis.
Results:
A difference in mol% of phospholipids between the RCS exposed tunnel construction workers and unexposed referents was observed. On lipid class level there was a higher mol% of sphingomyelin (SM) species among exposed workers compared to referents. Regarding single phospholipid species, higher mol % of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) species containing diacyl chains with 18:2 (linoleic acid) and 20:4 (arachidonic acid) fatty acid components were observed in the exposed group. Additionally, lower mol% of saturated PC species were observed among the exposed.
Conclusions:
Differences in phospholipid composition in the small airway lining fluid between workers exposed to RCS and a reference group were observed. This indicates a possible impact of RCS exposure on phospholipids in the small airways. However, whether these are linked to health effects is currently not known.
