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Updated: May 29, 2026
08:17
Generation of a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Model in Mice by Repeated Ozone Exposure
Published on: August 25, 2017
Cardiac dysfunction subsequent to chronic ozone exposure in rats.
Rama Surya Prakash Perepu1, David E Dostal, Carlos Garcia
1Brigham & Women's Hospital, Pain Management Center, Boston, MA 02467, USA.
Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
|September 28, 2011
Summary
Chronic exposure to ozone (O3), a component of air pollution, impairs heart function in healthy rats. This study reveals ozone
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality has declined due to risk factor identification.
- However, many cardiac patients lack traditional risk factors, suggesting unknown contributors.
- Air pollution, specifically ozone (O3), is increasingly implicated in CVD development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that chronic ozone exposure negatively impacts myocardial function.
- To assess the effects of controlled ozone exposure on cardiac performance in a healthy animal model.
Main Methods:
- Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to filtered air or 0.8 ppm ozone (O3) for 8 hours daily over 28 and 56 days.
- In vivo cardiac function was evaluated by measuring left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), +dP/dt, -dP/dt, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP).
- Myocardial levels of TNF-alpha, lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were quantified.
Main Results:
- Ozone-exposed rats exhibited significantly decreased LVDP, +dP/dt, and -dP/dt compared to controls.
- Ozone exposure led to a significant increase in LVEDP.
- Cardiac dysfunction correlated with elevated myocardial TNF-alpha and lipid peroxidation, and reduced SOD activity and IL-10 levels.
Conclusions:
- Chronic ozone exposure induces myocardial dysfunction in healthy adult rats.
- This dysfunction appears linked to reduced antioxidant capacity and increased inflammatory responses.
- Environmental pollutants like ozone represent a significant, underappreciated risk factor for cardiovascular health.
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