Atmospheric particulate matter assessment: PAHs and toxicity with zebrafish model

• Grant number: 22/09762-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: February 29, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Simone Andréa Pozza
• Grantee: Graziela Ribeiro Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Tecnologia (FT). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Limeira , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Human activities cause diverse environmental problems, such as atmospheric pollution, posing risks to fauna and flora. Particulate matter (PM) is one of the principal air pollutants and because of its small size, it can penetrate the lower respiratory tract and reach the bloodstream, causing pulmonary, cardiac, and neurological problems. The Zebrafish model is used as an alternative method to study the toxicity of PM and chemical agents in general. The organic fraction of PM includes PAHs, which may be among the main factors of PM genotoxicity as they have mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic effects. In this sense, the objective of this project is to evaluate the potentially toxic effects of PM using Zebrafish embryos (ZFET assay) as an indicator of toxicity. The place chosen for the study is an urban area, with intense vehicular traffic, located in the city of Limeira (SP).