Systemic Oxidative Stress Promoted by Emissions of Particulate Matter is Attenuated by Antioxidant Supplementation

Emissions of different types of airborne particulate matter (PM) is associated either with occupational contamination that affect both, workers directly exposed to the distinct PM sources such as incineration of solid residues of health services, coal mining and also coal burning derived from an electric-power plant, as well as the population living in the vicinity of such emissions. Such contamination leads to endogenous overgeneration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in different cells and tissues and therefore to a systemic oxidative stress (OS). Enzymatic and non-enzymatic OS biomarkers were measured in the blood of workers directly and indirectly (near the emissions) exposed and also in subjects indirectly exposed living in the vicinities of these PM emissions, before and after a six months antioxidant intervention of a daily oral supplementation of vitamins C (500 mg) and E (400 mg). Compared to baseline values, the antioxidant intervention after 6 months was able to confer a consistent and protective effect against the systemic OS irrespective of the PM source of the airborne contaminants. The results clearly indicate that supplementation with antioxidant vitamins could be recommended in order to attenuate the deleterious consequences of a systemic OS associated with such PM emissions.