Association between air pollution and myocardial aging

• Grant number: 24/17357-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Cremasco Takano
• Grantee: Gabriel Henrique Rodella Guedes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Recent evidence indicates that the inhalation of particles from air pollution can accelerate cellular processes that occur during aging. Consequently, pollution may contribute to the development and/or progression of various diseases, such as those affecting the cardiovascular system. However, the influence of air pollution on some mechanisms characteristic of myocardial aging has not yet been demonstrated. In this context, the study aims to evaluate whether chronic exposure to air pollution is associated with a greater deposition of lipofuscin pigments and telomere shortening in the cardiac tissue of individuals who resided in São Paulo. These histopathological and molecular aspects will be analyzed in samples collected during the autopsy of the individuals. The study will contribute to obtaining information about the relationship between the environment and the mechanisms related to cardiac aging and cardiovascular diseases.