Diesel exhaust particles: effects on neurofunction in female mice.

摘要

Epidemiological findings indicate that air pollution constitutes a hazard to human health and increases the prevalence of diseases such as, cardiovascular and lung diseases (reviewed in Ref. [1]). Exhaust from diesel engines is an important component in urban air pollution, and diesel exhaust particles contribute significantly to the concentration of the air pollution [2]. Diesel exhaust particle exposure reaches high levels in an occupational setting [2,3]. By number, a large fraction of the particulates emitted from diesel engines are below 100 nm in size [2] and recent studies indicate that the number and properties of particles in this nanoparticulate size-fraction (also denoted as ultrafine particles) may be very important for toxicity [4,5]. It has been proposed that the brain is a critical target for particulate matter exposure.