Chronic exposure to PM2.5 aggravates SLE manifestations in lupus-prone mice

Abstract

Background Air pollution causes negative impacts on health. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with diverse clinical manifestations and multifactorial etiology. Recent studies suggest that air pollution can trigger SLE and induce disease activity. However, this association has not been deeply investigated. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exacerbates SLE manifestations, focusing on renal complications, in a lupus-prone animal model. Female NZBWF1 mice were exposed daily to 600 μg/m3 of inhaled concentrated ambient particles (CAP) or filtered air (FA). Survival rate, body weight, weight of organs (kidney, spleen, thymus, liver and heart), blood cell count, proteinuria, kidney stereology, renal histopathology, gene expression and oxidative stress were analyzed. Results Female NZBW mice exposed to CAP showed decreased survival, increased circulating neutrophils, early onset of proteinuria and increased kidney weight with renal cortex enlargement when compared to NZBW mice exposed to FA. Conclusions This work shows that air pollution aggravates some SLE manifestations in lupus-prone mice. These results reinforce the need of reducing air pollutant levels in order to promote a better quality of life for individuals diagnosed with SLE.

The impact of PM2.5 on kidney

“…Exposure to PM2.5 also caused kidney inflammatory cells infiltrated, glomerular necrosis, and structure anomalies (Xu, Qin, et al, 2018); collagen accumulation (Chenxu et al, 2018); decreased tubular lumen and glomerular volumes; and increased BUN, mesangial expansion, and even fibrosis, which was more severe in hypertensive animals than in healthy animals, suggesting that hypertensive individuals are more susceptible to PM2.5 than those healthy (Tavera Busso et al, 2018). In addition, Yariwake et al (2021) found female NZBW mice with concentrated ambient particles exposure (CAP) showed increased circulating neutrophils and kidney weight with renal cortex enlargement, decreased survival, and early appearance of proteinuria comparing to NZBW mice with FA exposure.…”

Effect of chronic exposure to fine particulate matter on cardiac tissue of NZBWF1 mice

“…Twenty mice of the New Zealand Black White F1 strain were used (NZBWF1), an animal model in which SLE develops spontaneously. Mice were acquired from the research institution The Jackson Laboratory (https://www.jax.org), these animals come from a previously published study, in which the focus of the study was the renal system [17]. Young animals were used, exposed or not to pollution (PM2.5) during the 4-month period (n=10/group).…”

Ozone Pollution, Oxidative Stress, Regulatory T Cells and Antioxidants

“…Usually, air pollution has been shown to be a key factor in the generation of autoimmune diseases and their increased severity ( Figure 4 ) [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. In another study, it was shown that among the different environmental pollutants, ozone was the only one to remain constant regardless of the season of the year, in relation to the risk of relapse in multiple sclerosis [ 29 ].…”