Diesel Exhaust Extract Exposure Induces Neuronal Toxicity by Disrupting Autophagy.

ABSTRACT: The vast majority of neurodegenerative disease cannot be attributed to genetic causes alone and as a result, there is significant interest in identifying environmental modifiers of disease risk. Epidemiological studies have supported an association between long-term exposure to air pollutants and disease risk. Here, we investigate the mechanisms by which diesel exhaust, a major component of air pollution, induces neurotoxicity. Using a zebrafish model, we found that exposure to diesel exhaust particulate extract caused behavioral deficits and a significant decrease in neuron number. The neurotoxicity was due, at least in part, to reduced autophagic flux, which is a major pathway implicated in neurodegeneration. This neuron loss occurred alongside an increase in aggregation-prone neuronal p

SUBMITTER: Barnhill LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7357183 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature