The biomass charcoal with reduced carbon monoxide emission decreases mortality after the biomass charcoal burning in mice

Park, Eunhee; Sohn, Chang Hwan; Chung, Su Wol

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 29(3); 2018 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2018;29(3): 249-258.

바이오매스 조연제를 이용한 일산화탄소 저감 착화탄의 사망률 감소에 대한 연구

박은희¹

, 손창환²

, 정수월¹

¹울산대학교 생명과학부
²울산대학교 의과대학 서울아산병원 응급의학과

The biomass charcoal with reduced carbon monoxide emission decreases mortality after the biomass charcoal burning in mice

Eunhee Park¹

, Chang Hwan Sohn²

, Su Wol Chung¹

¹School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, Korea
²Department of Emergency Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence

Su Wol Chung ,Tel: 052-259-1641, Fax: 052-259-1694, Email: swchung@ulsan.ac.kr,

Received: March 7, 2018; Revised: June 8, 2018 Accepted: June 11, 2018. Published online: June 30, 2018.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
This study examined the effects on mortality and cell death after biomass charcoal combustion, in which carbon monoxide (CO) emissions were reduced using a biomass combustion improver in mice.
Method:
The biomass (glycerin) charcoal (Biomass CharCoal by Pusan National University, BCCP) was generated in the Power Generation System laboratory, Pusan National University. The effects and molecular mechanisms of biomass charcoal in carbon monoxide poisoning were examined by analyzing the mouse mortality, circulating leukocytes, carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), and expression of the inflammation-related genes, and cleaved capase-3 using enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent-assays, real-time polymerase chain reaction, or Western blotting.
Results:
The mortality rates were lower in the BCCP-exposed mice than in the raw charcoal-exposed mice. The circulating leukocytes were lower in the BCCP-exposed mice than in the raw charcoal-exposed mice. On the other hand, there was no significantly difference in the levels of COHb between both mice. Interestingly, the expression of the apoptosis-related gene, cleaved-capase 3, and the inflammation and tissue necrosis-related gene and receptor for the advanced glycation end products were reduced markedly in the BCCP-exposed mice compared to the raw charcoal-exposed mice. Decreased inflammation and tissue necrotic factors could be molecular mechanisms for the decreased mortality rates after BCCP burning.
Conclusion:
Biomass charcoal (BCCP) reduced the mortality rates and inflammation and tissue necrotic factors by 30%-40%. These results suggest that the biomass charcoal (BCCP) could reduce the incidence of suicide and CO-associated delayed symptoms after charcoal burning. Furthermore, it could extend the time for rescue in suicide attempts using charcoal burning.

Key words: Charcoal; Carbon monoxide poisoning; Mortality; Inflammation; Cell death