Particulate matter air pollution from the city of Quito, Ecuador, activates inflammatory signaling pathways <i>in vitro</i>

Victoria M Cevallos; Valeria Díaz; Cherilyn M Sirois

doi:10.1177/1753425917699864

Particulate matter air pollution from the city of Quito, Ecuador, activates inflammatory signaling pathways <i>in vitro</i>

Journal

Innate Immunity

ISSN

1753-4267

Date Issued

2017-03-21

Author(s)

Victoria M Cevallos

Valeria Díaz

Cherilyn M Sirois

Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo

DOI

10.1177/1753425917699864

URL

https://cris.ute.edu.ec/handle/123456789/1064

Abstract

Automobile traffic, industrial processes and natural phenomena cause notable air pollution, including gaseous and particulate contaminants, in urban centers. Exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution affects human health, and has been linked to respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. The mechanisms underlying inflammation in these diverse diseases, and to what extent health effects are different for PM obtained from different sources or locations, are still unclear. This study investigated the in vitro toxicity of ambient course (PM10) and fine (PM2.5) particulate matter collected at seven sites in the urban and periurban zones of Quito, Ecuador. Material from all sites was capable of activating TLR2 and TLR4 signaling pathways, with differences in the activation related to particle size. Additionally, airborne particulate matter from Quito is an effective activator of the NLRP3 inflammasome.