Exposure to ambient oxidant pollution associated with ceramide changes and cardiometabolic responses

Lingyan Liu; Tong Wang; Hongbing Xu; Yutong Zhu; Xinpeng Guan; Xinghou He; Jiakun Fang; Yunfei Xie; Qiaochi Zhang; Xiaoming Song; Qian Zhao; Wei Huang

doi:10.1016/j.etap.2023.104276

Exposure to ambient oxidant pollution associated with ceramide changes and cardiometabolic responses

Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2023 Oct:103:104276. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104276. Epub 2023 Sep 15.

Authors

Lingyan Liu¹, Tong Wang², Hongbing Xu³, Yutong Zhu⁴, Xinpeng Guan⁴, Xinghou He⁴, Jiakun Fang⁴, Yunfei Xie⁴, Qiaochi Zhang⁴, Xiaoming Song⁴, Qian Zhao⁴, Wei Huang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, Peking University School of Public Health, and Peking University Institute of Environmental Medicine, Beijing, China; Department of Geriatrics, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, China; State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling，Peking University, Beijing, China.
² Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, China; State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling，Peking University, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, Peking University School of Public Health, and Peking University Institute of Environmental Medicine, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling，Peking University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: xuhongbing@bjmu.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, Peking University School of Public Health, and Peking University Institute of Environmental Medicine, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling，Peking University, Beijing, China.
⁵ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, Peking University School of Public Health, and Peking University Institute of Environmental Medicine, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling，Peking University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: whuang@bjmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37717721
DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104276

Abstract

Evidence of impact of ambient oxidant pollution on cardiometabolic responses remains limited. We aimed to examine associations of oxidant pollutants with cardiometabolic responses, and effect modification by ceramides. During 2019-2020, 152 healthy adults were visited 4 times in Beijing, China, and indicators of ceramides, glucose homeostasis, and vascular function were measured. We found significant increases in ceramides of 13.9% (p = 0.020) to 110.1% (p = 0.005) associated with an interquartile increase in oxidant pollutants at prior 1-7 days. Exposure to oxidant pollutants was also related to elevations in insulin and reductions in adiponectin, and elevations in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Further, stratified analyses revealed larger changes in oxidant pollutant related cardiometabolic responses among participants with higher ceramide levels compared to those with lower levels. Our findings suggested cardiometabolic effects associated with exposure to oxidant pollutants, which may be modified by ceramide levels.

Keywords: Ceramide; Combined oxidative capacity; Glucose homeostasis; Oxidant pollution; Panel study; Vascular function.