Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Air Pollution and Health 2476-3071 3 3 2018 09 29 135 142 EN Maryam Faraji Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ramin Nabizadeh Nodehi Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Kazem Naddafi Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Zahra Pourpak Immunology, Asthma and Allergy Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Zahra Alizadeh Immunology, Asthma and Allergy Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Soheila Rezaei Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Alireza Mesdaghinia Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2018 08 29 2018 10 01 Introduction: Airborne particles generate acute and chronic toxic effects on the human health. Cytotoxicity of air pollutants can be investigated through cytotoxicity assays. In this study, cytotoxicity of PM10 (particles ≤ 10 μm in diameter) from dust storm and inversion condition was compared through MTT assay on the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in vitro. Materials and methods: PM10 was sampled in Tehran, Iran, 2016, in dust storm and inversion. PBMCs were isolated from the whole blood sample through Ficoll - Hypaque gradient method. Cells were treated with two suspensions of the PM10 from dust storm and inversion at different concentrations (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 µg / mL) for 24 h. Cell viability was assessed by MTT test and reported in respect to the viability in untreated cells as negative control. Results: During the sampling period, June 6 and 12 - 15 November, 2016, were selected as the dusty and inversion days, respectively. Daily average PM10 in dust storm and inversion conditions were found of 220 and 345 µg / m3, respectively. Mean of viability in the PBMCs treated by the samples from dust storm and inversion was found 85.79 ± 9.97 % and 81.58 ± 11.72%, respectively. The cell viability values were obtained between 78 - 96 % for PM10 related dust storm condition and 70 – 92 % for PM10 sampled in inversion days. Conclusion: The results showed that the PM10 from dust storm as well as from inversion had the cytotoxicity effects on PBMCs. The particles related to the inversion caused toxic effects more than those from dust storm at all concentrations. https://japh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/japh/article/view/175 https://japh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/japh/article/download/175/184