2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Effects of diesel exhaust particulate (DEP) on genital organs and cardiovascular system
| Project/Area Number |
13480164
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
環境影響評価(含放射線生物学)
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| Research Institution | THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO |
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Principal Investigator |
TSUBONE Hirokazu The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Professor, 大学院・農学生命科学研究科, 教授 (30142095)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KUWAHARA Masayoshi The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Associate Professor, 大学院・農学生命科学研究科, 助教授 (30205273)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2001 – 2003
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| Keywords | Diesel exhaust particle / Cardiovascular system / Genital organs / Abortion / Air pollution / Reactive oxygen species / Myometrial contractility / Growth |
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| Research Abstract |
Air pollution has become a very serious problem in the big cities of the world. Diesel exhaust (DE), which contains diesel exhaust particles (DEP) and diesel exhaust gases, is well known as an important air pollutant. Therefore, this study was investigated to clarify the effects of DEP on genital organs and cardiovascular system. Intravenously administered DEP induced arrhythmia (i.e. atrioventricular block, premature contraction). DEP caused low blood pressure and pretreatment with atropine blocked the DEP-induced fall in blood pressure, suggesting involvement of the parasympathetic nervous system in the DEP-induced responses. Moreover, DEP induced cytotoxicity toward cardiac myocytes in vitro might mainly due to reactive oxygen species such as OH, H_2O_2 and O_2. According to these results and other reports, this study and further researches about DEP using cardiac myocytes in vitro would play an important role in elucidating the complicated relations between air particles and cardiovascular diseases in vivo. Furthermore, DEP caused abnormal delivery and reproductive behavior in mice and led to abnormal parturition in pregnant nice and altered myometrial contractility in response to oxytocin. However, a more detail investigation will be needed to clarify the DEP-induced effects on genital organs and cardiovascular system.
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