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Hepatic alterations associated with fine particulate matter exposure

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Abstract

Several studies have pointed to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) as the main responsible for air pollution toxic effects. Indeed, PM2.5 may not only cause respiratory and cardiovascular abnormalities but it may also affect other organs such as the liver. Be that as it may, only a few studies have evaluated the PM2.5 effects on hepatic tissue. Moreover, most of them have not analyzed the relationship between particles composition and toxicological effects. In this study, healthy rats were subjected to urban levels of PM2.5 particles in order to assess their structural and functional effects on the liver. During the exposure periods, mean PM2.5 concentrations were slightly higher than the value suggested by the daily guideline of the World Health Organization. The exposed rats showed a hepatic increase of Cr, Zn, Fe, Ba, Tl and Pb levels. This group also showed leukocyte infiltration, sinusoidal dilation, hydropic inclusions and alterations in carbohydrates distribution. These histologic lesions were accompanied by serological changes, such as increase of total cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as genotoxic damage in their nuclei. We also observed significant associations between several biomarkers and PM2.5 composition. Our results show that exposure to low levels of PM2.5 might cause histologic and serological changes in liver tissue, suggesting that PM2.5 toxicity is influenced not only by their concentration but also by their composition and the exposure frequency.

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Abbreviations

PM2.5 :

Fine particulate matter

WHO:

World Health Organization

PAHs:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

HI:

Harvard Impactor

PTFE:

Polytetrafluoroethylene

Nap:

Naphthalene

Acy:

Acenaphthylene

Acp:

Acenaphthene

Flr:

Fluorene

Phe:

Phenanthrene

Ant:

Anthracene

Flt:

Fluoranthene

Pyr:

Pyrene

B[a]A:

Benzo[a]anthracene

Chr:

Chrysene

B[b]F:

Benzo[b]fluoranthene

B[k]F:

Benzo[k]fluoranthene

B[a]P:

Benzo[a]pyrene

D[ah]A:

Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene

Ind:

Indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene

B[ghi]P:

Benzo[g,h,i]perylene

PBS:

Phosphate buffered saline solution

HBSS:

Hank’s balanced saline solution

HDL:

High density lipoproteins

ALT:

Alanine aminotransferase

AST:

Aspartate aminotransferase

HE:

Hematoxylin/eosin stain

PAS:

Periodic acid-Schiff stain

TMV:

Tail moment value

TIM:

Total inhaled mass

EF:

Enrichment factor

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Luis I. Juncos for his constructive comments and English language editing.

Funding

This work received partial support from Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Grant #11220090100999) and Secretaría de Ciencia y Técnica de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (Grant #30720110100529).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET - Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016GCA, Córdoba, Argentina

    Iván Tavera Busso, Ana Carolina Mateos, Alicia González Peroni, Natalia Soledad Graziani & Hebe Alejandra Carreras

  2. J. Robert Cade Foundation, Córdoba, Argentina

    Iván Tavera Busso

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  1. Iván Tavera Busso
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  2. Ana Carolina Mateos
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  3. Alicia González Peroni
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  4. Natalia Soledad Graziani
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  5. Hebe Alejandra Carreras
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Correspondence to Iván Tavera Busso.

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Tavera Busso, I., Mateos, A.C., González Peroni, A. et al. Hepatic alterations associated with fine particulate matter exposure. Toxicol Res. 36, 139–148 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43188-019-00014-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43188-019-00014-4

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