Elevated blood pressure and heart rate in rats exposed to a coal‐derived complex organic mixture

Abstract

The susceptibility of the cardiovascular system to exposure to a high-boiling coal liquid (heavy distillate, HD) was studied in the rat using an isoproterenol (ISO) myocardial infarction model. Male Fischer rats were exposed to HD by inhalation (0.7 mg/l), 6 h/day, 5 days/week, for 6 weeks. After a 10-day recovery period, sham-exposed and HD-exposed rats were injected subcutaneously with 0, 20, 40 or 60 mg ISO/kg body weight. Blood pressure, heart rate, electrocardiogram and 99mTc uptake by the heart were measured 1 day later. A dose-related increase was observed in the uptake of 99mTc by the hearts of both sham-exposed and HD-exposed animals after ISO injection; however, uptake by the sham-exposed group was significantly greater than that of exposed groups. The most striking observation was a 20% elevation in arterial blood pressure of HD-exposed rats over that of sham-exposed animals when no ISO was injected. These results suggest that the cardiovascular system could be detrimentally affected by exposure to coal-derived complex mixtures and, possibly, to other complex organic mixtures.

Cardiac autonomic dysfunction from occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

“…Therefore, our findings may not be directly comparable with other studies of ambient exposure. However, toxicological studies and epidemiological investigations regarding other CVD outcomes with PAH-exposed occupations support our results, including elevated blood pressure and heart rate in rats16 as well as increased mortality from fatal ischaemic heart disease14 and risk of cerebrovascular disease and arteriosclerosis21 in human studies.…”

“…Recent research has shown that occupational exposure to PAHs is associated with an elevated risk of ischaemic heart disease14 and mortality from CVD compared with the general population 15. Experimental studies have demonstrated elevated blood pressure and heart rate,16 development of arteriosclerosis,17 impaired neurobehavioural activity18 and damage in neural cells19 upon exposure to PAHs.…”

Ischemic heart disease mortality and PM3.5 in a cohort of autoworkers

“…Third, components adsorbed on the surface of particles, or the ultrafine particles in the air mixture [Nemmar et al, 2001, 2002; Oberdörster et al, 2002], could cross the lung‐blood barrier and interact directly with blood cells or the endothelium. In animal studies, PAHs have been found to increase blood pressure in rats [Sasser et al, 1989] and promote artheriosclerotic plaque development in cockerels [Penn and Snyder, 1988].…”

A systematic review on the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on cardiometabolic impairment

“…[22] Experimental studies have indicated that exposure to PAH-containing organic compounds might lead to elevated arterial BP. [33]…”