| خلاصه مقاله | Nowadays, the occurrence of dust storm and the increase of the concentration of ambient particles matter (PM) in the cities have been raised as a serious problem in the air pollution subject, and it has become important to investigate the extent of their health effects. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between airborne particles matter levels and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) as a pro-inflammatory cytokine in exhaled air condensate (EBC) among two groups of studied subjects in Tabriz, Iran. In this panel study, 23 people with asthma complications and 23 healthy people without any lung complications were selected as two groups of subjects (asthmatic and healthy people). The data related to the concentration of ambient particles matter in different sizes (PM10, PM2.5, and PM1) were obtained from three fixed air monitoring stations located in the study area. In order to investigate the effect of PM on the studied subjects, following the sampling of PM, pro-inflammatory cytokine of TNF-α were also determined in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples via commercial ELISA kits. Daily mean ambient air PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 concentrations during the non-dusty days were 48.37, 18.54 and 6.11 µg m-3 and in the dust storms days 221.79, 93.13 and 25.52 µg m-3, respectively. The concentration of TNF-α biomarker in EBC was significantly (p< 0.001) higher in asthmatic subjects compared to the non-asthmatic people. TNF-α levels were increased in dust storm days compared to the non-dusty days (p<0.001) and were positively correlated with different size of ambient PM (PM10, PM2.5, and PM1) concentrations. Dust storm conditions can increase the pro-inflammatory cytokines and cause adverse effects on pulmonary health. This study confirmed the relationship between the amount of air PM with the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine and it can be used to estimate the effects of air pollutants on human health. |