title: Inhaled Pollutants: The Molecular Scene behind Respiratory and Systemic Diseases Associated with Ultrafine Particulate Matter.
abstract: Air pollution of anthropogenic origin is largely from the combustion of biomass (e.g., wood), fossil fuels (e.g., cars and trucks), incinerators, landfills, agricultural activities and tobacco smoke. Air pollution is a complex mixture that varies in space and time, and contains hundreds of compounds including volatile organic compounds (e.g., benzene), metals, sulphur and nitrogen oxides, ozone and particulate matter (PM). PM0.1(ultrafine particles (UFP)), those particles with a diameter less than 100 nm (includes nanoparticles (NP)) are considered especially dangerous to human health and may contribute significantly to the development of numerous respiratory and cardiovascular diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and atherosclerosis. Some of the pathogenic mechanisms through which PM0.1may contribute to chronic disease is their ability to induce inflammation, oxidative stress and cell death by molecular mechanisms that include transcription factors such as nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2). Epigenetic mechanisms including non-coding RNA (ncRNA) may also contribute towards the development of chronic disease associated with exposure to PM0.1. This paper highlights emerging molecular concepts associated with inhalational exposure to PM0.1and their ability to contribute to chronic respiratory and systemic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada. Hussein.Traboulsi@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Traboulsi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada. Necola.guerrina@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Necola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guerrina
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada. matthew.iu@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada. Dusica.maysinger@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Dusica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maysinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2K6, Canada. parisa.ariya@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Parisa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ariya
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada. Carolyn.baglole@mcgill.ca.|Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada. Carolyn.baglole@mcgill.ca.|Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada. Carolyn.baglole@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Carolyn J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Baglole
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D016923:Cell Death; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D052638:Particulate Matter; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
keywords: air pollution; aryl hydrocarbon receptor; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; epigenetics; nuclear factor-κB; particulate matter