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Exposure to urban air pollution particulate matter: neurobehavioral alteration and hippocampal inflammation

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Abstract

Air pollution is associated with many neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders in human populations. Rodent models show similar neurotoxic effects of urban air pollution ultrafine particulate matter (UFPs < 100 nm (PM0.1)), collected by different methods or from various sources. Exposure to ultrafine particulate matter (UFPs < 100 nm (PM0.1)) can be adversely impacting the central nervous system (CNS) by the activation of proinflammatory pathways and reactive oxygen species associated with air pollution particulate matter. We investigated hippocampal inflammatory cytokines, neurobehavioral alteration, and neuronal morphology following exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) in mice. Male mice were DEPs exposed for 14 weeks. Mice exposed to DEPs showed more disorders in spatial memory and learning and depressive-like responses than control mice. Expression of hippocampal pro-inflammatory cytokine was increased among DEPs exposure mice. The density of neurons in hippocampus CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus (DG) regions decreased in DEPs mice. Overall, these findings show that prolonged exposure to DEPs in the world’s major cities can alter neurobehavioral and impair cognition.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Ehsanifar Lab. Tehran, Iran, for technical assistance and also the Genetic and Environmental Adventures Research Center, School of Abarkouh Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran for supporting this work.

Funding

This project was initiated and funded by Genetic and Environmental Adventures Research Center, School of Abarkouh Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran (G.N: 7447).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genetic and Environmental Adventures Research Center, School of Abarkouh Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Mojtaba Ehsanifar & Zeinab Yavari

  2. Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

    Mojtaba Ehsanifar

  3. Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman

    Zeinab Yavari

  4. Department of Medical Physics and Radiology, Faculty of Paramedicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

    Mehravar Rafati

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  1. Mojtaba Ehsanifar
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The first draft of the manuscript was written by Mojtaba Ehsanifar and also he read and approved the final submitted manuscript. All authors contributed to the study conception and design.

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Correspondence to Mojtaba Ehsanifar.

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National Institutes of Health and Comics Ethics Committee for research purposes and also Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran, Ethics Committee (IR.SSU.SPH.REC.1399.081).

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Communicated by Lotfi Aleya.

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Ehsanifar, M., Yavari, Z. & Rafati, M. Exposure to urban air pollution particulate matter: neurobehavioral alteration and hippocampal inflammation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 50856–50866 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19367-9

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