Citation

Münzel T, Daiber A. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 2018; 28(9): 735-740.

Affiliation

University Medical Center Mainz, Center for Cardiology 1, Mainz, Germany ; daiber@uni-mainz.de.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/ars.2017.7488

PMID

29278923

Abstract

Epidemiological, preclinical and interventional clinical studies have demonstrated that environmental stressors are associated with health problems, namely cardiovascular diseases. According to estimations of the World Health Organization environmental risk factors account for an appreciable part of global deaths and life years spent with disability. This Forum issue addresses the impact of the environmental risk factors traffic noise exposure, air pollution by particulate matter, mental stress / loneliness as well as the life style risk factor (water-pipe) smoking on health and disease with focus on the cardiovascular system. One contribution critically discusses the use of observatory / modifiable biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation in environmental research on afore mentioned risk factors highlighting the need of exposome studies. Another contribution presents evidence for epigenetic regulation via microRNAs in environmental stress upon exposure to noise and toxins / heavy metals as well as mental stress conditions providing mechanistic insights in the modulation of microRNA signaling by oxidative stress and vice versa the contribution microRNAs to oxidative stress conditions. The other review articles provide an in-depth overview on the mechanistic pathways that lead to health problems (e.g. cardiovascular diseases) in response to environmental psychosocial stress, air pollution exposure in the form of ambient particulate matter and diesel exhaust, traffic noise exposure and the life style drug (water-pipe) smoking. Almost all stressors share the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) with subsequent onset of inflammation and oxidative stress, defining the here proposed therapeutic (antioxidant and exercise) strategies.

Language: en