Air pollution, high-fat diet cause atherosclerosis in labor...( o demonstrate measurable changes in pla...),Health

Fine particle pollution consists of microscopic particles of dust and soot less than 2.5 microns in diameter about thirty times smaller than the width of a human hair. These tiny particles primarily come from motor vehicle exhaust, power plant emissions, and other operations that involve the burning of fossil fuels. Fine particles can travel deep into the respiratory tract, reducing lung function and worsening conditions such as asthma and bronchitis.

To evaluate the effects of fine particle exposure on cardiovascular health, the researchers used mice that were genetically programmed to develop atherosclerosis at a higher-than-normal rate. Half of the mice were placed on a regular diet, while the remaining half received chow with a high fat and calorie content. Mice from both groups were then exposed to either concentrated air particles or clean, filtered air for 6 hours per day, 5 days per week, for a total of 6 months.

Following the exposures, the researchers measured plaque concentration in the aorta, the largest artery in the body. They found that among mice fed the high-fat diet, those exposed to fine particles had plaque concentrations more than 1.5 times higher than those exposed to clean air. "These results suggest that the fine particle exposure is actually accelerating the development of atherosclerosis in the high-fat group," said Sanjay Rajagopalan, M.D., a vascular medicine specialist and cardiologist with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and senior author of the study.

Further comparison of the high-fat groups showed that the artery walls of the mice exposed to fine particle pollution were significantly more inflamed than their clean
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Contact: John Peterson
peterso4@niehs.nih.gov
919-541-7860
NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
22-Dec-2005