Can PM2.5 really cause neurodegenerative diseases?

Image source: Pixabay Particulate matter (PM) is a major component of urban air pollution, and it has gradually attracted attention as an important pathogenic factor
.

In 2016, fine particulate matter (PM2.
5, with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.
5 μm) caused about 4.
2 million deaths, accounting for 7.
6% of global deaths
.

In addition to increasing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, PM2.
5 is also a high-risk factor for neuroinflammation, which may cause damage to the central nervous system
.

Epidemiological studies have found that people living in areas heavily polluted by PM2.
5 have more severe neuroinflammation in their brain tissues
.

In addition to inhaled PM2.
5 affects brain health by transducing pro-inflammatory signals from peripheral tissues such as the lungs, liver, and cardiovascular system, some studies have also observed that PM2.
5 accumulates in large amounts in the brain, and the latter directly damages the brain.
Innate immune protection-immune surveillance, which increases neuroinflammation and increases the risk of central nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), stroke and dementia
.

Therefore, it is extremely important to understand the brain damage caused by PM2.
5 and its impact on other neurological diseases
.

Although a large number of animal models have been used to determine the effect and mechanism of PM2.
5 on neuroinflammation, due to the lack of a model that accurately simulates the body’s innate immunity at the molecular and cellular levels, PM2.
5 causes astrocyte proliferation and small cells.
The relationship between glial cell proliferation and neuroinflammation is still unclear, so a model closer to the actual human body is needed to study the neuroinflammation caused by PM2.
5
.

To this end, the team of Professor Hansang Cho of Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea used a 3D culture model in a microfluidic system to simulate the interaction environment between glial cells and neurons, thereby clarifying the relationship between astrocytes and microglia.
The mechanism by which interactions and air pollution lead to neurodegenerative changes
.

The author hopes to clarify the damage of PM2.
5 in diesel exhaust gas to the human brain model through research, so first use the isolated artificial blood-brain barrier model to detect the penetrating ability of PM2.
5 and its concentration on one side of the brain tissue; Then, a microfluidic PM2.
5-contaminated brain model containing two parts was designed, one side was PM2.
5-contaminated brain neurons and astrocytes, and the other side was microglia.
It was found that it was stimulated by PM2.
5.
The astrocytes secrete a large number of inflammatory factors and chemokines, which induce microglia to recruit and tend to M1 polarization, thereby aggravating neurodegeneration, thus clarifying the role of astrocytes and microglia The role of PM2.
5 in neurodegeneration, which provides new ideas and new strategies for clinical development to effectively prevent or treat neurological diseases caused by PM2.
5
.

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