Abstract:
Objective To investigate the effects of short-term exposure to fine particulate matter(PM2.5) on blood biochemical parameters in juvenile rats, and to analyze the physiological changes with the concentration and duration of exposure.
Methods Juvenile Sprague-Dawley rats aged 21 days were exposed to clean air with PM2.5 at 0 μg/m3 (control group), PM2.5 at 39.5 μg/m3 (exposure-1 group), or PM2.5 at 133.0 μg/m3 (exposure-2 group). Blood samples were collected on days 1, 4, 7, and 14 post-exposure. Nine biochemical parameters were measured using a blood biochemical analyzer: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), apolipoprotein B (APOB), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), direct bilirubin (DBIL), cholinesterase (CHE), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin (ALB), and glucose (GLU). A mixed-effects model was used to evaluate the lag effects of PM2.5 exposure on each parameter.
Results In the control group, LDLC, HDLC, APOB, ALP, and DBIL showed significant decreasing trends with age (P < 0.01); CHE showed a significant increasing trend (P < 0.05); GLU initially increased and then decreased, with significant fluctuations (P < 0.05). The amplitudes of disturbance in blood biochemical parameters were greater in the exposure-2 group than in the exposure-1 group. On the 1st day post-exposure, the DBIL concentration in the exposure-2 group was significantly lower than that in the control group. On the 4th and 7th days, ALP concentrations were significantly higher in the exposure-2 group than in the exposure-1 group. On the 14th day, the exposure-2 group showed significantly higher LDLC and GLU levels than the control group. The mixed-effects model showed that for every 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 and PM1 with a lag of 0-1 days, LDLC increased by 1.82% (95% confidence interval CI: 0.89%-2.77%) and 2.85% (95%CI: 0.20%-5.50%), respectively; for every 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 and PM1 with a lag of 0-4 days, ALB increased by 0.60% (95%CI: 0.28%-0.92%) and 2.10% (95%CI: 0.49%-3.71%), respectively, and ALP increased with only PM1 by 2.56% (95%CI: 0.19%-4.94%); at a lag of 0-7 days, the increase in ALP caused by PM1 was 2.80% (95%CI: 0.48%-5.12%).
Conclusion Blood biochemical parameters (DBIL, LDLC, ALB, and ALP) fluctuate with changes in the duration and concentration of PM2.5 exposure in juvenile rats, suggesting that short-term exposure to PM2.5 may have potential hazards to blood lipids and liver function.