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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Endothelial progenitor cells as critical mediators of environmental air pollution-induced cardiovascular toxicity.

Authors: Singh, Parul; O'Toole, Timothy E; Conklin, Daniel J; Hill, Bradford G; Haberzettl, Petra

Published In Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, (2021 Apr 01)

Abstract: Environmental air pollution exposure is a leading cause of death worldwide, and with increasing industrialization and urbanization, its disease burden is expected to rise even further. The majority of air pollution exposure-associated deaths are linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although ample research demonstrates a strong correlation between air pollution exposure and CVD risk, the mechanisms by which inhalation of polluted air affects cardiovascular health are not completely understood. Inhalation of environmental air pollution has been associated with endothelial dysfunction, which suggests that air pollution exposure impacts CVD health by inducing endothelial injury. Interestingly, recent studies demonstrate that air pollution exposure affects the number and function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), subpopulations of bone marrow-derived proangiogenic cells that have been shown to play an essential role in maintaining cardiovascular health. In line with their beneficial function, chronically low levels of circulating EPCs and EPC dysfunction (e.g., in diabetic patients) have been associated with vascular dysfunction, poor cardiovascular health, and increases in the severity of cardiovascular outcomes. In contrast, treatments that improve EPC number and function (e.g., exercise) have been found to attenuate cardiovascular dysfunction. Considering the critical, nonredundant role of EPCs in maintaining vascular health, air pollution exposure-induced impairments in EPC number and function could lead to endothelial dysfunction, consequently increasing the risk for CVD. This review article covers novel aspects and new mechanistic insights of the adverse effects of air pollution exposure on cardiovascular health associated with changes in EPC number and function.

PubMed ID: 33606580 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Air Pollutants/adverse effects*; Air Pollution/adverse effects*; Animals; Cardiovascular Diseases/chemically induced*; Cardiovascular Diseases/metabolism; Cardiovascular Diseases/pathology; Cardiovascular Diseases/physiopathology; Cardiovascular System/drug effects*; Cardiovascular System/metabolism; Cardiovascular System/pathology; Cardiovascular System/physiopathology; Endothelial Progenitor Cells/drug effects*; Endothelial Progenitor Cells/metabolism; Endothelial Progenitor Cells/pathology; Humans; Inhalation Exposure/adverse effects*; Phenotype; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Signal Transduction

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