They found that chronic inhalation
of polluted air in mice appears to activate a protein that triggers the release
of white blood cells, setting off events that lead to widespread inflammation.
This finding narrows the gap in
researchers’ understanding of how prolonged exposure to pollution can increase
the risk for cardiovascular problems and other diseases.
The cellular activity they observed resembles an
immune response that has spiraled out of control. A normal immune response to a
pathogen or other foreign body requires some inflammation, but when
inflammation is excessive and has no protective or healing role, the condition
can lead to an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and
obesity, as well as other disorders.
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| AirMedic for particle and chemical control |
Though many questions about the
beginning of this process remain unanswered, the scientists predict that the
damage may originate in fluid that lines the lung. Tiny molecules in this fluid
change structure after being exposed to polluted air, and that change appears to
set off this cascade of damaging white blood cell behavior by activating a
receptor called “toll-like receptor 4.”
“Our main hypothesis is that particulate
matter stimulates inflammation in the lung, and products of that inflammation
spill over into the body’s circulation, traveling to fat tissue to promote
inflammation and causing vascular dysfunction,” said Sanjay Rajagopalan, professor of cardiovascular
medicine at Ohio State and senior author of the study. “We haven’t
identified the entire mechanism, but we have evidence now that activation of
TLR4 influences this response.”
The research is published in a
recent issue of the journal Circulation Research.
Editor’s note: This story was adapted from PR materials
produced by Emily Caldwell
and Ohio State University
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