Chapter 17 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Sample Preparation and Analysis in Beverages: A Review

The monitoring of food contaminants is of interests to both food regulatory bodies and the consumers. This literature review covers polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with regard to their background, sources of exposures, and occurrence in food and environment as well as health hazards. Furthermore, analytical methods focusing on the analysis of PAHs in tea, coffee, milk, and alcoholic samples for the last 16 years are presented. Numerous experimental methods have been developed aiming to obtain better limits of detections (LODs) and percent recoveries as well as to reduce solvent consumption and laborious work. These include information such as the selected PAHs analyzed, food matrix of PAHs, methods of extraction, cleanup procedure, LOD, limits of quantitation (LOQ), and percent recovery. For the analysis of tea, coffee, milk, and alcoholic samples, a majority of the research papers focused on the 16 US Environmental Protection Agency PAHs, while PAH4, PAH8, and methylated PAHs were also of interests. Extraction methods range from the classic Soxhlet extraction and liquid–liquid extraction to newer methods such as QuEChERS, dispersive solid-phase microextraction, and magnetic solid-phase extraction. The cleanup methods involved mainly the use of column chromatography and SPE filled with either silica or Florisil adsorbents. Gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry or fluorescence detectors are the main analytical instruments used. A majority of the selected combined methods used are able to achieve LODs and percent recoveries in the ranges of 0.01–5 ug/kg and 70–110%, respectively, for the analysis of tea, coffee, milk, and alcoholic samples.

Metabolomics analysis reveals that benzo[a]pyrene, a component of PM2.5, promotes pulmonary injury by modifying lipid metabolism in a phospholipase A2-dependent manner in vivo and in vitro

Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5μM (PM2.5) is one of the major environmental pollutants in China. In this study, we carried out a metabolomics profile study on PM2.5-induced inflammation. PM2.5 from Beijing, China, was collected and given to rats through intra-tracheal instillation in vivo. Acute pulmonary injury were observed by pulmonary function assessment and H.E. staining. The lipid metabolic profile was also altered with increased phospholipid and sphingolipid metabolites in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) after PM2.5 instillation. Organic component analysis revealed that benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is one of the most abundant and toxic components in the PM2.5 collected on the fiber filter. In vitro, BaP was used to treat A549 cells, an alveolar type II cell line. BaP (4μM, 24h) induced inflammation in the cells. Metabolomics analysis revealed that BaP (4μM, 6h) treatment altered the cellular lipid metabolic profile with increased phospholipid metabolites and reduced sphingolipid metabolites and free fatty acids (FFAs). The proportion of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was also decreased. Mechanically, BaP (4μM) increased the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity at 4h as well as the mRNA level of Pla2g2a at 12h. The pro-inflammatory effect of BaP was reversed by the cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2) inhibitor and chelator of intracellular Ca2+. This study revealed that BaP, as a component of PM2.5, induces pulmonary injury by activating PLA2 and elevating lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in a Ca2+-dependent manner in the alveolar type II cells.