According to a University press release, UNM scientist Matt Campen believes his research may hold a clue explaining the link between inhaled pollutants and neurological conditions.
In a new paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Campen and his colleagues report that tiny inhaled particles trapped in the lung trigger the release of inflammatory molecules that course through the circulatory system, according to the release.
According to the release, these molecules can open the blood-brain barrier and set off a cascade of inflammation beyond the small blood vessels that nourish and protect brain tissue.
Additionally, Campen has shown that fasudil, a Rho kinase inhibitor that prevents this blood-brain barrier disruption, can stave off neural inflammation.
There is concern that inhaled particles may eventually travel directly to the brain.
According to the release, inhaled particles irritate lung tissue, which triggers the secretion of inflammatory proteins as a protective response, so the particles do not have to leave the lung to cause effects in the brain.
In his research, Campen exposed mice to multi-walled carbon nanotubes, tiny particles that are frequently used in manufacturing due to their unique properties, when they infiltrate lung tissue, according to the release.
The release states that the inflammatory molecules released by the lungs then come into contact with the lining of the blood vessels in the brain, loosening the tightly bonded cells that form the blood-brain barrier, which regularly protect the brain from infections and toxins.
The inflammatory molecules infiltrate the microglia and astrocytes which surround and support the neurons in the brain, according to the release.
“Microglia, astrocytes — they’re supposed to help the neurons do their thing: learning, thinking, processing," Campen is quoted as saying in the press release. “When you distract them with these environmental exposures, they can’t do their work.”
According to the release, Campen’s research was conducted with colleagues from Virginia Commonwealth University and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Other research has also tied air pollution to autism and other diseases that affect learning and memory, according to the press release, but the link with the cardiovascular system suggests therapies that might be effective in treating these issues.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
“We know it’s getting to the blood vessels, and blood vessels are in every organ,” Campen is quoted as saying in the release. “So let’s start there to target these neurological outcomes.”
Matthew Reisen is the news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @MReisen88.
