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oai:figshare.com:article/34037281 2026-10-01T00:07:15Z category_1 category_8 category_12 category_16 category_21 category_24 category_873 category_106 category_46 category_61 category_62 category_64 category_132 portal_63 item_type_6 month_year_10_2026

Superoxide Release from Macrophages upon Exposure to Secondary Organic Aerosols, Biomass, and Plastic Burning Particulate Matter Kasey C. Edwards (19321110) Ting Fang (155126) Rizana Salim (25147102) Caitlyn Cruz (25147105) Sukriti Kapur (17944033) Sachin S. Gunthe (8320014) Sergey A. Nizkorodov (776065) Manabu Shiraiwa (1310850) Biophysics Microbiology Cell Biology Physiology Biotechnology Evolutionary Biology Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Science Policy Immunology Developmental Biology Marine Biology Cancer Infectious Diseases varied response depending secondary organic aerosols reactive oxygen species oxidative stress potential electron paramagnetic resonance chemiluminescence assay combined 300 μg ml 1 μg ml 01 μg ml ps ), low macrophage cells exposed lower activation thresholds five different types largest activation threshold clear activation threshold low (∼ 0 superoxide activation thresholds macrophages upon exposure pet burning pm biomass burning pm activation thresholds activation threshold burning pm various types ldpe ), largest amount initial exposure different pms clear increase cells exhibit biomass burning superoxide production pm suspensions pm generated pm composition pm ). vinyl chloride substantially higher respiratory burst process called particulate matter key process flaming combustion findings highlight ethylene terephthalate density polyethylene alveolar macrophages 4 h Oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a key process for adverse health effects upon respiratory deposition of particulate matter (PM). Alveolar macrophages can release superoxide upon phagocytosis of PM through a process called the respiratory burst. The release of cellular ROS should depend on both PM composition and dose, but the dose–response relationship for various types of PM remains poorly quantified. Here we measure cellular superoxide production by macrophage cells exposed to secondary organic aerosols (SOA) derived from oxidation of limonene, toluene, and naphthalene, as well as PM generated from biomass burning and flaming combustion of five different types of plastics. We quantify cellular superoxide production over the span of 4 h after an initial exposure of macrophages to PM suspensions by applying a chemiluminescence assay combined with electron paramagnetic resonance. We then define the activation threshold as the dose at which cells exhibit a clear increase in superoxide production. Limonene SOA is found to induce the largest amount of superoxide release (∼32 μM) but has the largest activation threshold of 300 μg mL^–1. Naphthalene and toluene SOA show smaller enhancement of superoxide production (∼2.5–7 μM) but have lower activation thresholds from 0.02 to 0.1 μg mL^–1. Biomass burning PM does not show a clear activation threshold. Plastic burning PM shows a varied response depending on the type of plastic, with PM derived from poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) having the highest superoxide production (∼12 μM). The activation thresholds for polystyrene (PS), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) burning PM are very low (∼0.01 μg mL^–1), while those for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and PET burning PM are substantially higher (50–100 μg mL^–1). Our findings highlight the importance of employing dose–response relationships and superoxide activation thresholds, rather than single-dose comparisons, to evaluate and compare the oxidative stress potential of different PMs more accurately. 2026-09-30T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 10.1021/acsomega.6c06562.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Superoxide_Release_from_Macrophages_upon_Exposure_to_Secondary_Organic_Aerosols_Biomass_and_Plastic_Burning_Particulate_Matter/34037281 CC BY-NC 4.0