Combined effects of co-exposure to formaldehyde and acrolein mixtures on cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in vitro

FA (formaldehyde) and ACR (acrolein) are common pollutants in environment, which often occur together in air. So, adverse health effects may not only result from their individual toxicity but also from the combined toxicity. While often studied alone, combination effects of these pollutants are inconclusive. Here, we examined the combined cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of FA and ACR on A549 cells based on CCK-8 assay, comet assay, and cytokinesis-block micronuclei assay. FA and ACR mixtures showed significant cytotoxicity and genotoxicity even at NOECs (no observed effect concentrations). Moreover, FA and ACR administrated jointly at doses from NOECs to sub-cytotoxic concentrations demonstrated significant interactions in cytotoxicity, DNA strand breaks, and chromosome damage. Co-exposure to FA and ACR significantly showed a lower responses on DNA strand break and chromosome damage than those expected for additivity, while an opposite result was obtained on cytotoxicity. Taken together, these results indicated that there was significant interactions on cytotoxicity and genotoxicity for FA and ACR, and prolonged exposure to mixtures of FA and ACR below sub-cytotoxic concentrations can produce a serious threat in human’s health.