Comparative toxicoproteomics reveals distinct proteostasis and ribosomal stress signatures of CMIT and PHMG.
Methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT) and polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) are antimicrobial biocides associated with pulmonary toxicity, although their comparative cellular stress mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated how CMIT and PHMG differentially alter the proteome of human alveolar epithelial A549 cells under subcytotoxic conditions. Cells were exposed to CMIT or PHMG, and global proteomic profiling was performed using label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified at a 1% false discovery rate with an absolute log2 fold change ≥1. Functional analyses were conducted using Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, and selected proteins were validated by western blotting. Comparative toxicoproteomics revealed distinct stress-response signatures induced by the two biocides. CMIT preferentially altered proteins associated with proteostasis, oxidative stress, and protein quality control, whereas PHMG was characterized by coordinated depletion of ribosome-associated and translation-related proteins. A total of 73 and 155 DEPs were identified in CMIT- and PHMG-treated cells, respectively, with 22 proteins shared between treatments. Western blotting confirmed PSMD3, TUBB2A, and GLRX1 as CMIT-responsive proteins and THRAP3, DHX15, and RPL4 as PHMG-responsive markers. These findings provide comparative mechanistic insight into how CMIT and PHMG induce distinct epithelial stress responses and identify candidate protein markers that may support future in vitro assessment of biocide-induced pulmonary toxicity.