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REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cancer Cell Biology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1526424
Effects of Particulate Air Pollution Exposure on Lung-brain Axis and Related miRNAs Modulation in Mouse Models
Provisionally accepted
Alessandro Giammona 1
Giulia Terribile 2 Paolo Rainone 1 Chiara Pellizzer 1 Danilo Porro 1
Giulio Alfredo Sancini 2 Ameen-Ur Rashid 1 Sara Belloli 1 Silvia Valtorta 1 Gloria Bertoli 1
Alessia Lo Dico 1*- 1 National Research Council (CNR), Roma, Lazio, Italy
- 2 Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, School of Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Lombardy, Italy
Particulate matter exposure is linked to numerous health issues, including respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases. This review focuses on the biological mechanisms through which air pollution influences the lung-brain axis, highlighting the role of miRNAs in regulating gene pathways affected by PM. Some microRNAs (miRNAs) are identified as key modulators of cellular processes, including inflammation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and bloodbrain barrier integrity. Using mice models to study these effects allows for controlled experimentation on the systemic distribution of PM across biological barriers.Among the imaging technologies, Positron Emission Tomography is the best approach to monitor the distribution and effects of PM in vivo. The research underscores the importance of miRNA profiles as potential markers for the health effects of PM exposure, suggesting that specific miRNAs could serve as early indicators of damage to the lung-brain axis.
Keywords: Air Pollution, miRNA, Mice, Lung-brain axis, cancer and imaging
Received: 11 Nov 2024; Accepted: 27 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Giammona, Terribile, Rainone, Pellizzer, Porro, Sancini, Rashid, Belloli, Valtorta, Bertoli and Lo Dico. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Alessia Lo Dico, National Research Council (CNR), Roma, 00185, Lazio, Italy
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