Pavel Rössner, Helena Líbalová, Michal Šíma, Tereza Červená, Zuzana Šímová, Kristýna Vrbová, Antonín Ambrož, Andrea Rössnerová, Zuzana Novakova, Fatima Elzeinová, Anezka Vimrova, Jǐŕı Kléma, Anne M. Koivisto, Elina Penttilä, Luboš Dittrich, Michal Vojtíšek, Martin Pechout, Katja M. Kanninen, Michal Vojtíšek-Lom
Ambient air pollution is a global problem linked to various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. Using a mobile exposure system, we investigated the molecular changes in human olfactory cleft mucosal (hOM) cells from healthy individuals and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients exposed to real-world ambient air. Samples were exposed at the air-liquid interface in a low-pollution Background site and a moderately polluted (within recommended limits) Industrial site. We assessed immune response-related molecules, lipid peroxidation and global RNA expression. Leukemia-inhibitory factor (LIF) increased in healthy, but not AD samples at the Industrial locality, while lipid peroxidation levels remained unchanged. Compared with a blank control, significant enrichment of biological processes and KEGG pathways occurred only in Industrial site samples. In healthy cells, neurodegeneration-related pathways were significantly affected, whereas AD samples showed enhanced inflammation-related responses. These findings suggest that even pollution within recommended limits can induce molecular changes potentially contributing to neurodegenerative disease development.