The impact of chronic exposure to air pollution over oxidative stress parameters and brain histology

Air pollution (AP) triggers neuroinflammation and lipoperoxidation involved in physiopathology of several neurodegenerative diseases. Our study aims to investigate the effect of chronic exposure to ambient AP in oxidative stress (OS) parameters and number of neurons and microglial cells of the cortex and striatum. Seventy-two male Wistar rats were distributed in four groups of exposure: control group (FA), exposed throughout life to filtered air; group PA-FA, pre-natal exposed to polluted air until weaning and then to filtered air; group FA-PA, pre-natal exposed to filtered air until weaning and then to polluted air; and group PA, exposed throughout life to polluted air. After 150 days of exposure, the rats were euthanized for biochemical and histological determinations. The malondialdehyde concentration in the cortex and striatum was significantly higher in the PA group. The activity of superoxide dismutase was significantly decreased in the cortex of all groups exposed to AP while activity of catalase was not modified in the cortex or striatum. The total glutathione concentration was lower in the cortex and higher in the striatum of the FA-PA group. The number of neurons or microglia in the striatum did not differ between FA and PA. On the other hand, neurons and microglia cell numbers were significantly higher in the cortex of the FA-PA group. Our findings suggest that the striatum and cortex have dissimilar thresholds to react to AP exposure and different adaptable responses to chronically AP-induced OS. At least for the cortex, changing to a non-polluted ambient early in life was able to avoid and/or reverse the OS, although some alterations in enzymatic antioxidant system may be permanent. As a result, it is important to clarify the effects of AP in the cortical organization and function because of limited capacity of brain tissue to deal with threatening environments.

Automated summary

The study found that the striatum and cortex have different reactions to air pollution, with the cortex able to avoid or reverse oxidative stress when transitioning to a non-polluted environment early in life, although some changes in the enzymatic antioxidant system may be permanent.