No abstract

Air particulate pollution negatively affects the health of the population exposed, being the lung the main target organ. Simvastatin (SV) is widely used for the prevention and risk reduction of coronary disease. Its pleiotropic effects may provide benefit for lung diseases. Here, we investigated the preventive effect of simvastatin pretreatment on acute intranasal exposure to ROFA (Residual Oil Fly Ash), and UAP (Urban Air Particle from Buenos Aires). Male BALB/c mice were randomized in two groups to receive either saline (control, C) solution or SV (1 mg/kg bw /day; ip) for 14 days. After SV treatment, ROFA or UAP (1 mg/kg bw) or saline were intranasally delivered for 24 hours generating 4 subgroups for the ROFA experiment (C, SV, ROFA and SV+ROFA) and 3 subgroups for the UAP experiment (C, SV, UAP and SV+UAP). Biomarkers of lung injury were examined in BAL cells evaluating total cell number (TCN), cell differential (CD) and superoxide anion generation (O2-), in lung homogenates assessing superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα); and in blood samples determining interleukin 6 (IL-6) production. ROFA and UAP produced an acute pulmonary injury, characterized by an increase in BAL, TCN and neutrophilic inflammatory influx, a rise in O2- generation, and production of the proinflammatory TNFα cytokine. SV pretreatment had no significant effect per se on any of these biomarkers but prevented the pulmonary cytotoxicity and inflammation induced by ROFA and UAP. Our results encourage further studies to determine the preventive effects on lung injury induced by air pollutants.

No abstract

The Reconquista River (RR), one of the most polluted watercourses in Argentina, receives effluent discharges from heavily industrialized and highly populated settlements. During winter and summer, the floodplain remains dry, producing the oxidation of sulfide and organic matter present in the sediment, making heavy metals more bioaccessible. Dispersion of this sediment occurs, and thus harmful effects on the pulmonary health of residents and workers inhabiting the RR bank may take place. The authors characterized the sediment particles of the RR (RR-PM) morphologically by scanning electron microscopy and its elemental composition by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction. Furthermore, the authors evaluated its biological impact on the respiratory system of BALB/c mice, generating four groups: control healthy, sensibilized with ovalbumin, exposed to particles, and sensibilized and exposed to particles. Sediment particles of the Reconquista River contained fine particulate matter, with a high concentration of bioaccessible Cu and Zn. The authors found that animal exposure to RR-PM caused polymorphonuclear cell lung infiltration, augmentation of O2(-), increase of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNFα], interleukin-6 [IL-6]) and apoptosis. This adverse response was more dramatic in the sensibilized and exposed to particles group. Even more, they proved the bioaccessible fraction present in the RR-PM to be responsible for these harmful effects. The authors conclude that RR-PM produces an adverse biological impact on the airways of healthy animals, which is largely aggravated in previously sensibilized animals.