Exploring the role of air pollution on the development of atherosclerosis disorder in human endothelial cells

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): QU - NSPP Introduction Atherosclerosis, the main cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, is a global health threat. Rising cardiovascular disease prevalence, unexplained by traditional risk factors, prompts exploration of the impact of occupational exposure to environmental toxins as a risk factor. benzoapyrene (BaP) is a polyaromatic compound that mediate its toxicity through activation of the Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The molecular mechanisms of involvement of environmental toxins and the role of AhR/CYP1A pathway in atherosclerosis development remain not fully investigated. Purpose The current study explores the AhR pathway activation in endothelial cells upon exposure to environmental toxins in order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases and plaque formation through investigating pro-inflammatory (CYP1A1, CYP1B1, TNF-a) and pro-apoptotic markers (BCL-2, Caspase-3). Methods EA. hy926 cell line underwent treatment with increasing concentrations of BaP (0-20 microM), as well as 10nm of TCDD, to confirm the results. DSMO was used as a control. Total RNA and protein were isolated to investigate mRNA expression and protein expression of AhR, CYP1A1, CYP1B1, as well as caspase-3, Bcl-2, and TNF-α using RT-PCR and Western Blot analysis. Statistical analysis was done using one-way ANOVA. Results The results showed that BaP induce significant dose-dependent upregulation of AhR and target genes (CYP1A1, CYP1B1). At 20uM, expression of AhR (3-fold), CYP1A1 (2.5-fold) and CYP1B1 (2-fold) was significantly high as compared to their respective controls and low doses. As for apoptotic markers, Bcl-2 was significantly downregulated at the highest concentrations 10uM and 20uM (0.7- and 0.6-fold, respectively). Caspase-3 showed no significant change but exhibited upregulation across all doses. TCDD 10nM significantly upregulated AhR (2.0-fold), CYP1A1 (1.5-fold), CYP1B1 (1.7-fold). Bcl-2 downregulated (0.6-fold), TNF-α significantly upregulated (1.8-fold) at 10nM. Caspase-3 increased 2-folds but was not statistically significant. Conclusion This study illustrated that AhR inducers, such as BaP, can accelerate the pathological progress of atherosclerosis by evoking oxidative stress and inflammation response molecules in human endothelial cells, demonstrated by the reduced expression of anti-apoptotic markers and the increased expression of inflammatory markers.