Mass Spectrometry Imaging Revealed Sulfatides Depletion in Brain Tissues of Rats Exposed in Real Air with High Fine Particulate Matter

作者：Xin Diao, Chengyi Xie, Guangshan Xie, Yuanyuan Song, Yanshan Liang, Ruijin Li, Chuan Dong, Lin Zhu, Jianing Wang, Zongwei Cai · 发表于：Environmental Science & Technology Letters · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00615 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Air Quality and Health Impacts、Climate Change and Health Impacts、Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) exposure remains a great health risk worldwide. Epidemiological evidence suggests a possible association between neurodegeneration and PM 2.5 exposure. In the present study, cutting-edge mass spectrometry imaging techniques were implemented to investigate the spatial distribution of lipids in rat brains after real ambient exposure to air with high PM 2.5 levels. For the first time, a significant reduction of sulfatides in the brain stem and corpus callosum of PM-exposed rats was observed. Further validation using isolated corpus callosum tissues showed that in addition to decreased sulfatides expression levels of neuroinflammation markers including cytokines, microglial, and astrocyte activation markers were significantly upregulated in the PM-exposure group. Our data, therefore, provides a possible association between PM exposure and neurological damage, via sulfatides reduction and associated neuroinflammation in the corpus callosum region of PM-exposed rat brains.