Efectos proinflamatorios de la contaminación atmosférica

Abstract

Intermittent exposure of rats to Santiago's traffic pollution is associated to a decrease in growth after more than 100 days (range: 101-111) and to histological lung damage after 90 and particularly after 180 days. Our aim was to assess whether a 90 days exposure of rats to air from a Santiago's heavy traffic avenue, is able to induce a systemic proinflammatory reaction. Thirty-days-old Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 7) were directly exposed to air from a heavy traffic avenue (8 h, 5 days a week, from April 27 to July 29, 2009). Controls (n = 7) breathed animal room air. Rats were weighed twice a week and after completing 90 days of observation, lungs were subjected to histopathology and C reactive protein, viscosity and F2-isoprostane in plasma and microhematocrit were determined in blood samples. Exposure to PM10, PM2.5, ozone, NO2 and CO were estimated from registrations of 4 Santiago's monitoring stations. Plasmatic C reactive protein and viscosity and microhematocrit were significantly increased after 90 days of exposure as compared to controls (p < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in F2-isoprostane, nor in lung histopathology, nor in body weight curve versus time in exposed as compared to control series. Hourly mean value of PM25 in the 8 h of exposure was high: 38.9 µg/m³. It is concluded that 90 days of intermittent exposure of rats to Santiago's air pollution would promote a systemic inflammatory reaction. This response to air pollution might precede the decrease in body growth and the histological lung damage reported previously by our laboratory in the same species after intermittent Santiago's urban air pollution exposure.