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08:54
In Vivo Assessment of Alveolar Macrophage Efferocytosis Following Ozone Exposure
Published on: October 22, 2019
Ozone exposure, antioxidant genes, and lung function in an elderly cohort: VA normative aging study
S E Alexeeff1, A A Litonjua, R O Wright
1Stacey E Alexeeff, Exposure, Epidemiology and Risk Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Landmark Center West, 415, 401 Park Dr., Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. staceyac@stat.cmu.edu
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|June 6, 2008
Summary
Ozone exposure acutely impairs lung function in the elderly. Genetic variations in antioxidant genes like HMOX1 and GSTP1 can worsen these effects, highlighting individual susceptibility.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Genetics
Background:
- Ozone (O3) exposure is a known cause of oxidative stress.
- The elderly are a suspected risk group for O3-induced lung damage.
- Genetic polymorphisms in antioxidant genes may influence susceptibility to O3 effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the acute effects of ozone exposure on lung function in elderly men.
- To determine if genetic polymorphisms in heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1) and glutathione S-transferase pi (GSTP1) modify these effects.
Main Methods:
- 1100 elderly men from the Normative Aging Study had lung function (FVC, FEV1) measured from 1995-2005.
- Genotyping included GSTP1 Ile105Val and HMOX1 (GT)n promoter polymorphisms.
- Ambient ozone levels and confounders were analyzed using mixed linear models.
Main Results:
- A 15 ppb increase in ozone was linked to a 1.25% decrease in FEV1.
- This effect was exacerbated by long HMOX1 (GT)n repeats and GSTP1 Val105 alleles.
- Combined genetic variants showed the strongest negative impact on FEV1 and FVC.
Conclusions:
- Ozone exposure has an acute negative impact on elderly lung function.
- Specific antioxidant gene polymorphisms (HMOX1, GSTP1) modify ozone's effects.
- Individual genetic makeup influences vulnerability to air pollution-related respiratory issues.
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