Time course of antioxidant enzyme activities in mice corneas after the exposure to urban air pollution.

FERREIRA S; TAU J; TESONE A; BERRA A; MARCHINI T; LASAGNI VITAR R; LLESUY S.; EVELSON P; JANEZIC NS

Congreso; Congress of European Society of Opthalmology; 2017

Purpose: The health impact of air pollution is associated with adverse effects at exposure levels that are currently experienced by urban populations. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant enzyme activities in mice corneas after the exposure to urban air pollution for 4 weeks. Method: Eight-week-old Balb/c male mice were exposed to urban air or filtered air (control group) in an exposure chamber located in a highly populated area of Buenos Aires city (latitude 34⁰35?51??S and longitude 58⁰23?56?O). The level of air particulate matter in this area ranges between 20-60 μg/m3. The experimental protocol is comprised of exposures for 8 h/day, 5 days/week, for 1, 2, and 4 weeks. The local committee for animal care (CICUAL-FFyB) approved every experimental procedure. The following parameters were evaluated: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzyme activities. One-way ANOVA following Tukey?s post hoc test were used for statistical analysis. Results: The animals exposed to urban air pollution showed a significant increase of SOD and CAT after a 1-week exposure (p