Same pollution sources for climate change might be hyperactivating the NLRP3 inflammasome and exacerbating neuroinflammation and SARS mortality

Abstract

We have reviewed a considerable amount of recent scientific papers relating inflammation caused by air pollution with chronic and severe medical conditions. Furthermore, there are evidences relating organ inflammation caused by not only outdoor long-term but also short-term inhaled radioisotopes contained in high polluted air or in household natural radioactive background aerosols, in addition to SARS-COV-2 attached to bioaerosols, which are related with a worst evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome patients. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production induced by the interaction with environmental ionizing radiation contained in pollution is pointed out as a critical mechanism that predispose mainly to elder population, but not excluding young subjects, presenting previous chronic conditions of lung inflammation or neuroinflammation, which can lead to the most serious consequences.

How Do Inflammatory Mediators, Immune Response and Air Pollution Contribute to COVID-19 Disease Severity? A Lesson to Learn

“…ROS production induced as a consequence of the interaction with environmental air pollutants is pointed out as a critical mechanism that may predispose mainly elderly populations but does not exclude young subjects [185], even those presenting previous chronic conditions of lung inflammation or neuroinflammation, to the most serious consequences of COVID-19 [191]. It is well known that pollution impairs the first line of defence of the upper airways, namely the cilia functions of epithelial cells [192]; thus, a subject living in an area with high levels of pollution is more prone to develop chronic respiratory conditions and is more vulnerable to any infective agent.…”

Alzheimer’s Disease and COVID-19 fatalities linked to the NLRP3 inflammasome overregulation

“…QEH points out that sustained polluted environments which includes anthropogenic PM 2.5 or exhausted gasses which are continuously interchanging some of its non-radioactive elements like carbon or nitrogen with radiocarbon or radionitrogen, which are unstable emitting ionizing radiation nuclei constantly created naturally in the atmosphere, are a source of continuous production organ inflammation diseases due to inhalation of polluted air (Macias-Verde et al) [7]. Other compounds, like SO 2 , can cause acid rains giving major mobility to the progenies of the natural radioactive series of uranium, thorium and actinium elements and facilitating their absorption by plants becoming more hazardous to humans.…”

“…Macias-Verde et al [7] relate outdoor and indoor natural radioactivity in particulate matter with organ inflammation as well. Probably, this could explain the huge incidence of COVID-19 severity in countries with the highest background radiation over the planet, such as Brazil, India, or Iran.…”

“…As very tiny particulate with diameter less than 2.5 microns (PM 2.5 ) and pollution gasses are incorporated to the organism, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in oA b -stimulated microglia increases. ROS is required for pollution-induced Interukin-1 b production and NLRP3 inflammasome activation (Macias-Verde et al) [7].…”

“…The macrophage NLRP3 inflammasome has also a central importance in the activation of lung inflammation and fibrosis on SARS-CoV-2 infected patients (Lara et al) [14]. In a recent work published by Macias-Verde et al [7] based on a wide review about pollution and public health considerations, it is proposed a so-called "Quadrupole Effect Hypothesis" (QEH) between COVID-19 older population and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by the interaction of the ionizing radiation from radioisotopes sustained in polluted air with human cells, naturally produced as the so-called background radiation or due to human activity, as PM 2.5 (particulate matter with diameter < 2.5 μm), PM 10 (particulate matter with diameter < 10 μm), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ). ROS upregulates the expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome and keep turning on inflammation issues progressively (Macias-Verde et al) [7].…”