Development of an air quality biomonitoring system based on an ex vivo human respiratory mucosa model

Air pollution is a major global health concern, responsible for millions of premature deaths each year and strongly associated with the development and progression of respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases. Traditional environmental monitoring systems, based on physical and chemical analysis of pollutants, provide valuable data on air quality but fail to capture the actual biological impact on human health. This highlights the urgent need for innovative human-based biomonitoring strategies capable of directly assessing the effects of environmental exposure at the cellular and molecular level. In this context, the aim of this research project was to develop an exposure prototype specifically designed to host an ex vivo model of human respiratory mucosa, which represents the primary interface between airborne pollutants and the human body. This system enabled the assessment of biological responses induced by environmental exposure, such as epithelial barrier disruption and inflammatory processes. These effects were investigated through a combination of cytotoxicity assays, transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements, immunomorphological analyses, and molecular techniques including Western Blotting (WB) and multiplex protein quantification using the Magpix technology.