The effect of PM2/5 exposure on neonatal rat cerebral tissue

The present study, evaluated the effect of PM2/5exposure on the cerebral tissue of neonatal rats. 24 female Wistar albino rats after mating and pregnancy, classified into three groups including "control", "Exposure1", and "Exposure2".  The Control group used air with a clean standard condition, and the other two groups were exposed to gaseous pollutants and gaseous pollutants plus PM2/5 respectively for 40 days. The cerebral tissues were removed. Gene expression analysis was conducted for S100 gene using quantitative Real-Time PCR and also methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM) assay was performed for the control, Exposure1, and Exposure2 groups. The amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) involved in the oxidative stress (OS) process was assessed for all groups. The results showed the significant expression of S100 gene in Exposure1 and Exposure2 groups compared with the control group. MS-HRM assays detected only hypermethylation of Exposure 1 in comparison with control group. Based on the analysis of the involved enzymes in OS, malondialdehyde increased in the Exposure1 and Exposure2 groups. These findings may help provide insight to identifying therapeutic targets for reducing human cerebral disorders caused by exposure to PM2/5 or other air pollutants.