Effects of Dust Storm Fine Particle-Inhalation on the Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Endocrine, Hematological, and Digestive Systems of Rats

Abstract

The rats were examined for red blood cell and white blood cell counts, increased expression of cytokines, chemokines, hormones, and enzymes capacity in peripheral blood and in serum. [...]pathological changes in hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, kidneys, stomach, and thymus were examined on the 180th day. Furthermore, exposure to fine PMs was associated with acute coronary events, particularly ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, in patients with preexisting seriously diseased coronary arteries, but not in those with non-diseased coronary arteries. [...]the increase in IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α following PM exposure in the present study may trigger the acute-phase response, which is characterized by an early release of 'alarm' cytokines IL-1 and TNF-α, followed by a second wave of cytokines such as IL-8 and IL-6. [...]we found that PM exposure was associated with interstitial fibrosis and formation of epithelioid granulomas in the lungs (Masson's Trichrome staining for collagen fibers; H and E for fibrosis severity) at 180 d of exposure [Figure 1]b and [Figure 1]d. By contrast, fibrosis was not detected in other organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys, and thymus [Supplementary Figure 5]. [...]we found that dust storm PM is composed of a large number of fine or ultrafine particles, which can cause systemic inflammation and systemic injury to multiple organ systems, including the respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, hematological, and digestive systems.