A role for associated transition metals in the immunotoxicity of inhaled ambient particulate matter.

Epidemiologic studies demonstrate that infection, specifically pneumonia, contributes substantially to the increased morbidity and mortality among elderly individuals following exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM). This laboratory has previously demonstrated that a single inhalation exposure of Streptococcus pneumoniae-infected rats to concentrated ambient PM(2.5) (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < or =2.5 microm) from New York City (NYC) air exacerbates the infection process and alters pulmonary and systemic immunity. Although these results provide some basis for explaining the epidemiologic findings, the identity of specific PM constituents that might have been responsible for the worsening pneumonia in exposed hosts remains unclear. Thus, studies were performed to correlate the physicochemical attributes of ambient PM(2.5) with its in vivo immunotoxicity to identify and characterize the role of constitutive transition metals in exacerbating an ongoing streptococcal infection. Uninfected or previously infected rats were exposed in the laboratory to soluble divalent Fe, Mn, or Ni chloride salts. After exposure, uninfected rats were sacrificed and their lungs were lavaged. Lungs from infected hosts were used to evaluate changes in bacterial clearance and effects of exposure on the extent/severity of infection. Results demonstrated that inhalation of Fe altered innate and adaptive immunity in uninfected hosts, and both Fe and Ni reduced pulmonary bacterial clearance in previously infected rats. The effects on clearance produced in infected Fe-exposed rats were similar to those seen in infected rats exposed to ambient NYC PM. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that inhaled ambient PM can worsen the outcome of an ongoing pulmonary infection and that associated Fe may play some role in the immunotoxicity.

Quantitative analysis of cardiac data from rats monitored by telemetry: reducing within- and between-animal variability.

Few studies have examined the sources of variability in cardiac function measurements in unrestrained animals and the impact of this variability on detection of treatment effects. The heart rate was monitored with implanted ECG transmitters in two groups of male rats, age 7 and 23 mo. Animals were monitored in their cages to determine optimal heart rate sampling frequency and sources of variability in heart rate, including whether there were persistent animal-to-animal differences. Ambient temperature was transiently increased to test whether correction for animal-to-animal differences improved sensitivity for detection of treatment effects. Animal-to-animal differences were statistically significant and accounted for about 18.3% and 11.5% of the total variance for old and young rats, respectively. In both the old and young rats, the heart rate decreased during the heat challenges relative to the control group, but the noncorrected differences were not statistically significant. When pre-exposure baseline values for each rat (average of 72 h prior to the first temperature challenge) were subtracted, the decrease in heart rate was statistically significant during all three challenges for both old and young rats. Subtraction of preexposure heart rate data to correct for baseline differences between animals is important for measuring treatment effects.

Immediate effects of particulate air pollutants on heart rate and respiratory rate in hypertensive rats.

Time-series studies have shown that the lag time between elevated particulate air pollution (PM) and increases in cardiovascular-related hospital admissions and death is very short 1 d or less. If PM does cause serious cardiovascular effects shortly after exposure, one would expect to see some physiological change during exposure. In this study, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) with surgically implanted blood pressure transmitters were exposed to concentrated ambient PM (CAPS) for 4 h to determine whether CAPS inhalation causes immediate effects. The rats were also exposed to sulfuric acid aerosols because acid is one of the components of PM that could potentially activate irritant receptors and cause effects during exposure. Exposure to CAPS caused a striking decrease in respiratory rate that was apparent soon after the start of exposure and stopped when exposure to CAPS ceased. The decrease in respiratory rate was accompanied by a decrease in heart rate. Exposure of the same rats to fine-particle-size sulfuric acid aerosol also caused a significant decrease in respiratory rate similar to the effects of CAPS. Ultrafine acid had the opposite effect on respiratory rate compared to CAPS. Because acids have been shown to evoke sensory irritant responses in rodents, the similarity between the effects of fine acid aerosol and CAPS suggests that CAPS activates airway-irritant receptors during exposure.

Effect of concentrated ambient particulate matter on blood coagulation parameters in rats.

Epidemiologic studies have shown that exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with short-term increases in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. These adverse effects of inhaled particulate matter (PM*) may be the indirect result of a PM-induced increase in blood coagulability. This explanation is biologically plausible because prospective studies have shown that increases in blood coagulation parameters are significantly associated with risk of adverse cardiovascular events. We examined the hypothesis that acute exposure to elevated levels of PM causes prothrombotic changes in blood coagulation parameters. Rats with indwelling jugular vein catheters were exposed for 6 hours to filtered air or concentrated ambient PM in New York City air (n = 9 per group per experiment). PM less than 2.5 microm in mass median aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) was concentrated for animal exposures using a centrifugal concentrator. Blood samples were taken at four time points: before and immediately after exposure and at 12 and 24 hours after the start of exposure. At each time point, six coagulation parameters (platelet count, fibrinogen level, factor VII activity, thrombin-antithrombin complex [TAT] level, tissue plasminogen activator [tPA] activity, and plasminogen activator inhibitor [PAI] activity) were measured as well as all standard blood count parameters. Five concentrated-PM exposure experiments were performed over a period of 8 weeks in the summer of 1999. PM exposure concentrations ranged from 95 to 341 microg/m3. Statistical significance was determined by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the postexposure data with time and exposure status as main effects. There were no consistent exposure-related effects on any of the end points across the five experiments and no indication of any dose-dependent effects. Most of the statistically significant differences that were observed do not represent adverse effects. Therefore, the results of this study do not indicate that exposure to concentrated ambient PM causes adverse effects on blood coagulation in healthy rats.

A novel 3-dimensional micro-ultrasound approach to automated measurement of carotid arterial plaque volume as a biomarker for experimental atherosclerosis.

Improved methods for non-invasive in vivo assessment are needed to guide development of animal models of atherosclerosis and to evaluate target engagement and in vivo efficacy of new drugs. Using novel 3D-micro-ultrasound technology, we developed and validated a novel protocol for 3D acquisition and analysis of imaging to follow lesion progression in atherosclerotic mice. The carotid arteries of ApoE receptor knockout mice and normal control mice were imaged within the proximal 2mm from the aortic branch point. Plaque volume along that length was quantified using a semi-automated 3D segmentation algorithm. Volumes derived by this method were compared to those calculated using 3-D histology post-mortem. Bland-Altman comparison revealed close correlation between these two measures of plaque volume. Furthermore, using a segmentation technique that captures early positive and 33 week negative remodeling, we found evidence that plaque volume increases linearly over time. Each animal and each plaque served as its own control, allowing accurate comparison. The high fidelity anatomical registration of this protocol provides increased spatial resolution and therefore greater sensitivity for measurement of plaque wall size, an advance over 2-dimensional measures of intimal-medial-thickening. Further, 3-dimensional analysis ensures a point of registration that captures functional markers in addition to the standard structural markers that characterize experimental atherosclerosis. In conclusion, this novel imaging protocol provides a non-invasive, accurate surrogate marker for experimental atherosclerosis over the life of the entire lesion.

Effect of particulate and gaseous pollutants on spontaneous arrhythmias in aged rats.

Epidemiology studies suggest that exposure to air pollution increases the frequency of cardiac arrhythmias. A limitation of these studies is that it is difficult to link an increased risk of arrhythmias to a specific air pollutant. Animal exposure studies offer the opportunity to examine the effects of concentrated ambient fine particulate matter (PM), ultrafine PM, and copollutant gases separately. Male Fischer 344 rats, aged 18 mo, with implanted electrocardiograph (ECG) transmitters were used to determine the effects of PM on the frequency of arrhythmias. We found that old F344 rats had many spontaneous arrhythmias. An arrhythmia classification system was developed to quantify arrhythmia frequency. Arrhythmias were broadly grouped into two categories: premature beats and delayed beats. The rats were exposed to concentrated ambient PM (CAPS) or air for 4 h. The rats were exposed twice with a crossover design so each rat could serve as its own control. The CAPS concentrations were 160 microg/m(3) and 200 microg/m(3) for the first and second exposures, respectively. There was a significant increase in the frequency of irregular and delayed beats after exposure to CAPS. The same rats were subsequently exposed to laboratory-generated ultrafine carbon particles, to SO(2), or to air with a repeated crossover design. In these experiments there was no significant change in the frequency of any category of spontaneous arrhythmia following exposure to ultrafine carbon or SO(2). Thus, this study adds supporting evidence that acute exposure to elevated levels of ambient PM increases the frequency of cardiac arrhythmias.

Effects of inhaled ambient particulate matter on pulmonary antimicrobial immune defense.

Respiratory-tract infection, specifically pneumonia, contributes substantially to the increased morbidity and mortality among elderly individuals exposed to airborne particulate matter of <10 microm diameter (PM(10)). These epidemiological findings suggest that PM(10) may act as an immunosuppressive factor that can undermine normal pulmonary antimicrobial defense mechanisms. To investigate whether, and how, compromised pulmonary immunocompetence might contribute to increased mortality, two sets of laboratory studies were performed. The first examined the effects of a single inhalation exposure to concentrated ambient PM(2.5) (CAPS) from New York City air on pulmonary/systemic immunity and on the susceptibility of exposed aged rats to subsequent infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae. The second set of studies determined whether CAPS exposure, at a concentration approximating or somewhat greater than the promulgated 24-h NAAQS of 65 microg/m(3), could exacerbate an ongoing infection. Taken together, results demonstrated that a single exposure of healthy animals to CAPS had little effect on pulmonary immune function or bacterial clearance during subsequent challenge with S. pneumoniae. Alternatively, CAPS exposure of previously infected rats significantly increased bacterial burdens and decreased percentages of lavageable neutrophils and proinflammatory cytokine levels compared to those in infected filtered-air-exposed controls. These studies demonstrate that a single exposure to ambient PM(2.5) compromises a host's ability to handle ongoing pneumococcal infections and support the epidemiological findings of increased pneumonia-related deaths in ambient PM-exposed elderly individuals.