Journal
TOXICOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 178, Issue 2, Pages 127-130Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2008.03.001
Keywords
ultrafine particles; nanoparticles; brain; inflammation; transcription factors
Categories
Funding
- NIA NIH HHS [R01 AG016794-10, R01 AG016794, AG 16794] Funding Source: Medline
- NIEHS NIH HHS [R01 ES007992-10, R01 ES013432, R01 ES007992, ES 7992, ES13432] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In addition to evidence that inhalation of ambient particulate matter (PM) can increase cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality, the brain may also constitute a site adversely effected by the environmental presence of airborne particulate matter. We have examined the association between exposure to PM and adverse CNS effects in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) mice exposed to two levels of concentrated ultrafine particulate matter in central Los Angeles. Mice were euthanized 24h after the last exposure and brain, liver, heart, lung and spleen tissues were collected and frozen for subsequent bioassays. There was clear evidence of aberrant immune activation in the brains of exposed animals as judged by a dose-related increase in nuclear translocation of two key transcription factors, NF-kappa B and AP-1. These factors are involved in the promotion of inflammation. Increased levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were also found consequent to particulate inhalation suggesting that glial activation was taking place. In order to determine the mechanism by which these events occurred, levels of several MAP kinases involved in activation of these transcription factors were assayed by Western blotting. There were no significant changes in the proportion of active (phosphorylated) forms of ERK-1, IkB and p38. However, the fraction of JNK in the active form was significantly increased in animals receiving the lower concentration of concentrated ambient particles (CAPs). This suggests that the signaling pathway by which these transcription factors are activated involves the activation of JNK. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available