Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) air pollution has been reported to trigger inflammation and thrombosis. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the modulation of coagulation pathways in PM-induced thrombosis remain largely unknown. We report here that Sirt1, a member of class III histone deacetylase, controls lung inflammation and coagulation after PM exposure. Sirt1 knock-out mice exhibited aggravated lung vascular leakage and inflammation after PM exposure, which was correlated with increased NF-B acetylation and activation. Furthermore, Sirt1 knock-out mice were highly susceptible to PM-induced lung coagulation as demonstrated by increased fibrin formation. The increased fibrin formation was associated with reduced tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) expression and increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity in the lungs, thus favoring elevated coagulation and disrupted fibrinolysis responses. Thrombomodulin (TM), a central player of the anticoagulant protein C system, is regulated by Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) at the transcriptional level.
IntroductionExposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) air pollution has been associated with impaired pulmonary function and increased cardiovascular disease-related mortality including inflammation and thrombosis. 1-5 Acute exposure to increased ambient fine particulate matter Ͻ 2.5 m in diameter (PM 2.5 ) was estimated to cause the premature deaths of tens of thousands of people each year in the United States. 6 Urban particulate matter (UPM) PM 2.5, one of the major air pollutants closely monitored by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a complex mixture of substances that are directly emitted into the air from dust, soot, smoke, and combustion. 6 To protect public health, the EPA issued the current 24-hour PM 2.5 standard at 35 g/m 3 . 6 Despite the enormous health problems caused by PM 2.5 exposure, there have been few studies performed to explore the molecular mechanisms of PM 2.5 -induced lung vascular dysfunction. PM 2.5 can reach deep in the lung to the small airway and alveoli, 6 and directly cause lung inflammation and injury. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13] The pulmonary complications may lead to detrimental effects on other organs, particularly cardiovascular dysfunction such as systemic microvascular dysfunction and thrombosis. 1,2,4,5,13 A recent study demonstrated that short-term UPM exposure triggered the activation of primary hemostasis in healthy mice, with no substantial secondary hemostasis activation, leading to arterial but not venous thrombosis. 5 Whereas another study showed that short-term UPM exposure may cause activation of coagulation responses and fibrin formation in the lung. 14 Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) play important roles in coagulation and fibrinolysis cascades, respectively. TFPI is an inhibitor of tissue factor (TF)-mediated coagulation responses. 15 PAI-1, on the other hand, is a major regulator of fibrinolysis, which functions by in...