Development and Preliminary Characterization of a Novel Setup for Generation of Wood Smoke Extract

Inhalation of wood smoke, whether from wildfires or biomass combustion, poses a significant public health concern due to its complex mixture of toxic gases and particulate matter. Despite growing awareness of its respiratory hazards, there remains a gap in development of standardized experimental models to evaluate wood smoke-induced lung injury and test potential therapeutics. This thesis aims to start addressing this gap by developing a low-cost wood smoke extract (WSE) generation system suitable for in vitro applications. Initial characterization revealed that the generated WSE contained particles of about 5 μm and about 452.5 μmoles of carbonyl compounds like aldehydes and ketones. We also observed a loss of carbonyl content during storage at 4°C, -20°C and -80°C over a period of 10 days. Exposure of bronchial epithelial cells (Calu-3) to WSE resulted in reduced cell viability, impaired epithelial barrier function and elevated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6. These findings support the use of the generated WSE as a viable model for studying wood smoke toxicity in vitro. To explore potential interventions, the study further evaluated the effects of decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) derived from pig lung tissue as a pre-treatment strategy. dECM-treated cells exhibited partial preservation of viability and barrier function following WSE exposure, suggesting a protective role of the bioactive matrix components. However, the response was subject to variability, highlighting the need for further optimization. Overall, the platform described in this thesis may facilitate future studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms of smoke toxicity and the screening of potential therapeutic candidates.