Nano-Sized Particles May Cause Damage to You Heart

Researchers of UCLA had a new academic study published - 'Beware of Air Pollution: Nano-Sized Particles May Cause Damage to You Heart' in the online edition of 'Circulation Research'. The aforementioned investigation revealed that the smallest particle emissions from cars, trucks and other vehicles may be the most damaging components of air pollution, triggering plaque build-up in the arteries. The consequences of that could be heart attack and even stroke. Also patients with high possibilities of heart diseases and cardiac problems should not only avoid fatty foods and smoking but be aware of all types of air pollution too. Heart disease ranks as the number one cause of death worldwide. In developed countries last year (2007) heart disease represented 28.6% of all mortalities.

However, scientist found a way in which pollutant particles may promote hardening of the arteries by inactivating the protective qualities of high density lipoprotein (JDL) cholesterol also known as 'good cholesterol'. The team of researchers from UCLA, made up of scientists from different campuses such as the University of Southern California, the University of California, Irvine and Michigan State University contributed to the research in different ways according to their specific field of specialization. This study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the continuation of this important research was led by 'Dr. Andre Nel', the Chief of Nanomedicine at UCLA.

The Dr. Jesus Araujo who is assistant professor of medicine and director of environmental cardiology at the David Geffen School of medicine at UCLA said: 'It appears that the smallest air pollutant particles, which are the most abundant in an urban environment, are the most toxic'. Unfortunately if we live in an urban zone we are most exposed to this kind of air pollution which is completely hazardous not only for the heart but also for the respiratory system and lungs. This is the first study that demonstrates the destructor power of nano-sized air pollutants to promote atherosclerosis in an animal model.

However the nanoparticles we are talking about are of a size similar to a virus or molecule, less than 0.18 micrometers or about one thousandth the size of a human hair. Some regulations from EPA are currently suggesting the modification of this measure. EPA regulates fine particles which are the next size up at 2.5 micrometers, but does not monitor particles in the nano or ultrafine range. Trying to capture these particles with a filter proves to be extremely difficult. For advancement in this field, new technology must be developed to track their contribution to adverse heart effects.

Nel, the principal investigator and researcher of this project at the UCLA California NanoSystems Institute said: 'We hope that our findings offer insight into the impact of nano-sized air pollutant particles and help explore ways for stricter air quality regulatory guidelines'. Also Mr. Nel said that the consequences of air pollution on cardiovascular health may be similar to the hazards of secondhand smoke. Combustion sources such as pollution particles emitted by vehicles contain a very high concentration of organic chemicals that could be released deep into the lungs causing several problems or even spill over into the systematic circulation.

Apparently not only pollutant particles affect the heart but diesel exhaust particles interact with altering-clogging fats in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to activate genes that cause the blood-vessels inflammation that can lead heart disease. In the current study researchers made some tests with mice containing high cholesterol to activate genes that cause the blood vessel inflammation. However, the researchers observed that mice exposed to ultra fine particles exhibited 55 percent greater plaque development than mice exposed to fine sized particles. The professor's assistant, Araujo said: 'This suggests that ultrafine particles are the more toxic air pollutants in promoting events leading to cardiovascular disease'. Also Nel argued, that ultrafine particles may deliver a much higher effective dose of injurious components, compared with larger pollutant particles.

Moreover, the research showed that there were greater levels of gene activation in mice exposed to ultrafine particles, compared to other groups. One of the researchers said that our next step will be to develop a biomarker that could enable physicians to estimate the degree of cardiovascular damage caused by air pollutants or measure the level of risk encountered by an exposed body. Finally, the team of researchers are working extremely hard to continue improving their findings and they said that further study will pinpoint critical chemical and toxic properties of ultrafine particles that may affect humans.

Author: Hector Nicolas Suero
NanoVip - Staff Writer