Association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and biomarkers indicative of inflammation and oxidative stress: a cross-sectional study using KoGES-HEXA data

Environ Health Prev Med. 2024:29:17. doi: 10.1265/ehpm.23-00199.

Abstract

Background: Air pollution-induced systemic inflammation and oxidative stress are hypothesized to be the major biological mechanisms underlying pathological outcomes. We examined the association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in 2199 general middle-aged Korean population residing in metropolitan areas.

Methods: Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) and urinary levels of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were measured. Daily concentrations of a series of air pollutants (particulate matter [PM]10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3) were predicted using the Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system, and participant-level pollutant exposure was determined using geocoded residential addresses. Short-term exposure was defined as the 1- to 7-day moving averages.

Results: The multivariable-adjusted linear models controlling for the sociodemographic, lifestyle, temporal, and meteorological factors identified positive associations of PM with IL-1β, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, and 8-OHdG levels; SO2 with IL-10 levels, CO with IL-1β, IL-10, and TNF-α levels; and O3 with IL-1β, IL-8, and 8-OHdG levels. O3 levels were inversely associated with IL-10 levels. For each pollutant, the strongest associations were observed for the 7-day average PM and CO with IL-1β (per 10-µg/m3 increase in PM10: 2.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.6-4.8; per 10-µg/m3 increase in PM2.5: 6.4%, 95% CI = 2.4-10.5; per 0.1-ppm increase in CO: 3.3%, 95% CI = 0.3-6.5); the 2-day average SO2 with IL-10 levels (per 1-ppb increase in SO2: 1.1%, 95% CI = 0.1-2.1); and the 7-day average O3 with IL-8 levels (per 1-ppb increase in O3: 1.3%, 95% CI = 0.7-1.9).

Conclusions: Short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants may induce oxidative damage and pro-inflammatory roles, together with counter-regulatory anti-inflammatory response.

Keywords: Air pollutants; Biomarkers; Inflammation; Korea; Middle-aged adults; Oxidative stress.

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants* / adverse effects
  • Air Pollutants* / analysis
  • Biomarkers
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Environmental Pollutants*
  • Humans
  • Inflammation / chemically induced
  • Inflammation / epidemiology
  • Interleukin-10
  • Interleukin-8
  • Middle Aged
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Particulate Matter / adverse effects
  • Particulate Matter / analysis
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Interleukin-10
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Interleukin-8
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Particulate Matter
  • Biomarkers