Publicação
Impact of environmental pollutants in the skin: cell physiology and genetic changes
| Resumo: | Environmental pollution stems from human activities, with chemical pollution being the most prevalent form. Air pollution specifically refers to the contamination by any substance that alters the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges six main types of air pollutants, one of these being sulfur dioxide (SO2). Sulfur compounds are released into the atmosphere where they can be converted into aerosols, which can greatly affect human health. The skin is the largest organ in the body and plays a crucial role in maintaining internal homeostasis, greatly reducing the impact of exogenous sources of stress and damage, such as air pollutants. Environmental stressors generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn cause cellular oxidative stress, including DNA oxidation. When the DNA repair machinery fails to counter DNA damage, this can potentially lead to mutations, which can contribute to the development of cancer. The aim of this project is to understand if SO2 derivatives can impact the skin. Analysis of A375 melanoma cells indicates that exposure to SO2 derivatives can lead to a slight increase in cell proliferation and viability at low concentrations, but a decrease at high concentrations. Additionally, cells exposed to high concentrations for short periods resulted in higher levels of oxidative stress compared to untreated cells, while long-term exposure showed minimal differences in oxidative stress levels. Furthermore, cells exposed to high concentrations for shorter periods or low concentrations for longer periods showed an increase in DNA damage responses. RNA-seq analysis showed that shorter or prolonged exposure to low concentrations of SO2 derivatives can cause immediate and long-term alterations in specific genes. Overall, these findings showed that even low SO2 concentrations can impact cell physiology and gene expression and therefore contribute to the understanding of how air pollution can impact skin cells. |
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| Autores principais: | Neves, Maria Catarina Tomé de Pina Cunha |
| Assunto: | Poluição atmosférica Dióxido de enxofre Melanoma Danos no DNA Stress oxidativo Teses de mestrado - 2024 |
| Ano: | 2024 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa |
| Resumo: | Environmental pollution stems from human activities, with chemical pollution being the most prevalent form. Air pollution specifically refers to the contamination by any substance that alters the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges six main types of air pollutants, one of these being sulfur dioxide (SO2). Sulfur compounds are released into the atmosphere where they can be converted into aerosols, which can greatly affect human health. The skin is the largest organ in the body and plays a crucial role in maintaining internal homeostasis, greatly reducing the impact of exogenous sources of stress and damage, such as air pollutants. Environmental stressors generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn cause cellular oxidative stress, including DNA oxidation. When the DNA repair machinery fails to counter DNA damage, this can potentially lead to mutations, which can contribute to the development of cancer. The aim of this project is to understand if SO2 derivatives can impact the skin. Analysis of A375 melanoma cells indicates that exposure to SO2 derivatives can lead to a slight increase in cell proliferation and viability at low concentrations, but a decrease at high concentrations. Additionally, cells exposed to high concentrations for short periods resulted in higher levels of oxidative stress compared to untreated cells, while long-term exposure showed minimal differences in oxidative stress levels. Furthermore, cells exposed to high concentrations for shorter periods or low concentrations for longer periods showed an increase in DNA damage responses. RNA-seq analysis showed that shorter or prolonged exposure to low concentrations of SO2 derivatives can cause immediate and long-term alterations in specific genes. Overall, these findings showed that even low SO2 concentrations can impact cell physiology and gene expression and therefore contribute to the understanding of how air pollution can impact skin cells. |
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