Murine precision-cut lung slices exhibit acute responses following exposure to gasoline direct injection engine emissions Caitlin L. Maikawa a,b , Naomi Zimmerman b,c,1 , Khaled Rais c , Mittal Shah d , Brie Hawley e,f , Pallavi Pant g,2 , Cheol-Heon Jeong b , Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit g , John Volckens e,h , Greg Evans b , James S. Wallace c , Krystal J. Godri Pollitt a, ⁎ a Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA b Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada c Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G8, Canada d Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, University College London, Brockley Hill, Stanmore, London HA7 4LP, United Kingdom e Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA f Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA g Division of Environmental Health & Risk Management, School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom h Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA HIGHLIGHTS • PM emissions from GDI engines are higher than conventional gasoline en- gines. • Precision cut lung slices were used to evaluate GDI induced pulmonary re- sponses. • GDI exhaust particulate was dominated by high molecular weight PAHs. • PAH metabolism-related gene upregu- lation was attributable to this particle fraction. • Upregulation of an oxidative stress gene was found in response to GDI exposure. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT abstract article info Article history: Received 12 April 2016 Received in revised form 3 June 2016 Accepted 21 June 2016 Available online xxxx Gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines are increasingly prevalent in the global vehicle fleet. Particulate matter emissions from GDI engines are elevated compared to conventional gasoline engines. The pulmonary effects of these higher particulate emissions are unclear. This study investigated the pulmonary responses induced by GDI engine exhaust using an ex vivo model. The physiochemical properties of GDI engine exhaust were assessed. Precision cut lung slices were prepared using Balb/c mice to evaluate the pulmonary response induced by one- hour exposure to engine-out exhaust from a laboratory GDI engine operated at conditions equivalent to vehicle Science of the Total Environment xxx (2016) xxx–xxx ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, 149 Goessman Lab, 686 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. E-mail address: kpollitt@umass.edu (K.J. Godri Pollitt). 1 Present address: Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, PA 15213, USA. 2 Present address: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. STOTEN-20303; No of Pages 8 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.173 0048-9697/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Science of the Total Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv Please cite this article as: Maikawa, C.L., et al., Murine precision-cut lung slices exhibit acute responses following exposure to gasoline direct injection engine emissions, Sci Total Environ (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.173