PM2.5 induced neurodegenerative-like changes in mice and the antagonistic effects of vitamin E

Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) affect a large and ever-growing population globally, resulting in heavy burdens for patients and their families. Though some specific genes related to ND have been identified, the genetic factors fail to fully account for the pathogenesis of ND. Therefore, the roles of the environment and life styles in the occurrence of ND are being actively probed. As a typical air pollutant, exposures to PM2.5 are linked to the occurrence of ND. However, there are still few studies on this exposure, particularly on the in vivo and molecular mechanisms of the ND-like lesions after PM2.5 exposure. To investigate this link further, C57BL/6J mice were exposed everyday to PM2.5 for one week. Then, resulting brain damage and upstream events were investigated. After acute PM2.5 exposure, several ND-like changes were detected, such as cognitive deficits, loss of neurons, protein aggregates etc. Oxidative stress and inflammation may be involved with these toxic mechanisms. These effects were blocked by concurrent administration of vitamin E (Vit E). Down-regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation were proposed to explain the antagonistic effects of Vit E.