Kidney damage induced by sub-chronic fine particulate matter exposure

TAVERA BUSSO, IVÁN; MATEOS, ANA CAROLINA; JUNCOS, LUIS ISAÍAS; CANALS, NORMA; CARRERAS, HEBE ALEJANDRA

ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2018 vol. 121 p. 635 - 642

0160-4120

According to the WHO, about 3 million people die each year due to ambient air pollution. Most of the in vivostudies on the PM2.5 effects have been done on respiratory and cardiovascular tissues. However, little is knownabout the effects on the tissues involved on xenobiotic removal, such as kidneys. In the present study we assessthe harmful effects of sub-chronic exposure to PM2.5 on the kidney, by investigating histologic and serum alterationsin healthy and hypertensive rat models. Mean PM2.5 concentrations during exposures were slightlyabove the daily WHO standard. Exposed animals showed fibrosis, mesangial expansion, decrease glomerular andtubular lumen volumes in kidneys, with an elevated BUN. Hypertensive animals also exhibited much moresevere alterations than healthy animals. We conclude that PM2.5 induces minimal or small-scale abnormalitiesthat can be determinant for renal health preservation.