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Published on: January 16, 2015
Exposure to Ambient Particulate Matter Induced COPD in a Rat Model and a Description of the Underlying Mechanism
Fang He1,2, Baoling Liao1, Jinding Pu1
1The State Key Lab of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract:
While the health effects of air pollution have been an international public health concern since at least the 1950s, recent research has focused on two broad sources of air pollution, namely, biomass fuel (BMF) and motor vehicle exhaust (MVE). Many studies have shown associations between air pollution PM and exacerbations of pre-existing COPD, but the role of air pollution PM in the development and progression of COPD is still uncertain. The current study indicates that rats can develop pronounced COPD following chronic exposure to air pollution PM (BMF and MVE), as characterized by lung function reduction, mucus metaplasia, lung and systemic inflammation, emphysema, and small airway remodeling. Comparative analyses demonstrate that both BMF and MVE activate similar pathogenesis that are linked to the development of COPD. These findings also show that some differences are found in the lungs of rats exposed to BMF or MVE, which might result in different phenotypes of COPD.
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