From Particles to Patients: Oxidative Stress and the Cardiovascular Effects of Air Pollution

Abstract

Air pollution, especially airborne particulate matter (PM), is associated with an increase in both morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease, although the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely established. The one consistent observation that links the pulmonary and cardiovascular effects of inhaled PM is oxidative stress. This article examines the evidence for the role of oxidative stress in the cardiovascular effects of air pollution, beginning with observations from epidemiological and controlled exposure studies and then exploring potential mechanistic pathways involving free radical generation from PM itself, to effects of PM on cell cultures, isolated organs, healthy animals and animal models of disease. Particular emphasis is placed on the vascular and atherosclerotic effects of urban air pollution and diesel exhaust emissions as rich sources of environmental ultrafine particles.

Keywords:

• air pollution
• atherosclerosis
• cardiovascular
• diesel exhaust
• endothelium
• free radical
• nitric oxide
• oxidative stress
• particulate matter
• superoxide

Financial & competing interests disclosure

All authors are funded by a British Heart Foundation Programme (RG/05/003) grant. MR Miller is also funded by a British Heart Foundation Project grant (PG/10/042/28388). The authors also acknowledge the support of the British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence award. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.