Human pollution exposure correlates with accelerated ultrastructural degradation of hair fibers

Gregoire Naudin, Philippe Bastien, Sakina Mezzache, Erwann Trehu, Nasrine Bourokba, Brice Marc René Appenzeller, Jeremie Soeur, Thomas Bornschlögl*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Exposure to pollution is a known risk factor for human health. While correlative studies between exposure to pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and human health exist, and while in vitro studies help to establish a causative connection, in vivo comparisons of exposed and nonexposed human tissue are scarce. Here, we use human hair as a model matrix to study the correlation of PAH pollution with microstructural changes over time. Two hundred four hair samples from 2 Chinese cities with distinct pollution exposure were collected, and chromatographicmass spectrometry was used to quantify the PAH-exposure profiles of each individual sample. This allowed us to define a group of less contaminated hair samples as well as a more contaminated group. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) together with quantitative image analysis and blind scoring of 82 structural parameters, we find that the speed of naturally occurring haircortex degradation and cuticle delamination is increased in fibers with increased PAH concentrations. Treating nondamaged hair fibers with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation leads to a more pronounced cortical damage especially around melanosomes of samples with higher PAH concentrations. Our study shows the detrimental effect of physiological concentrations of PAH together with UV irradiation on the hair microstructure but likely can be applied to other human tissues.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1840-18415
Number of pages16576
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume116
Issue number37
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Sept 2019

Keywords

  • Air pollution
  • Cortical damage
  • Transmission electron microscopy

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