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Acrolein inhalation alters myocardial synchrony and performance at and below exposure concentrations that cause ventilatory responses
Citation:
Thompson, L., A. Ledbetter, N. Coates, W. Cascio, M. Hazari, AND A. Farraj. Acrolein inhalation alters myocardial synchrony and performance at and below exposure concentrations that cause ventilatory responses. Cardiovascular Toxicology. Humana Press Incorporated, Totowa, NJ, 17(2):97-108, (2017).
Impact/Purpose:
Acrolein, a chemically simple but highly reactive gas, is produced and released during organic combustion processes. The findings from this study demonstrate that short-term inhalation of acrolein can acutely modify cardiac function in vivo The study therefore informs the risk assessment of acrolein . Acrolein is classified as one the hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) regulated under the Clean Air Act.
Description:
Acrolein is an irritating aldehyde generated during combustion of organic compounds. Altered autonomic activity has been documented following acrolein inhalation, possibly impacting myocardial synchrony and function. Given the ubiquitous nature of acrolein in the environment, we sought to better define the immediate and delayed functional cardiac effects of acrolein inhalation in vivo. We hypothesized that acrolein inhalation would increase markers of cardiac mechanical dysfunction, i.e., myocardial dyssynchrony and performance index in mice. Male C57Bl /6J mice were exposed to filtered air ·(FA) or acrolein (0.3 or 3.0 ppm) for 3 h in whole-body plethysmography chambers (n = 6). Echocardiographic analyses were performed 1 day before exposure and at 1 and 24 h post exposure. Speckle tracking echocardiography revealed that circumferential strain delay (i.e., dyssynchrony) was increased .at 1 and 24 h following exposure to 3.0 ppm, but not 0.3 ppm, when compared to pre-exposure and/or FA exposure. Pulsed wave Doppler of transmitral blood flow revealed that acrolein exposure at 0.3 ppm, but not 3.0 ppm, increased theTei index of myocardial performance (i.e., decreased global heart performance) at 1 and 24 h post-exposure compared to pre-exposure and/or FA exposure. We conclude that short-term inhalation of acrolein can acutely modify cardiac function in vivo and that echocardiographic evaluation of myocardial synchrony and performance following exposure to other inhaled pollutants could provide broader insight into the health effects of air pollution.
