Pinpointing the links between air pollution and heart damage

Cardiotoxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Short exposures to air pollution can trigger heart attacks, strokes and irregular heart rhythms, especially in people already at risk of these conditions. Evidence suggests a link between a group of air pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heart disease, but the nature of this link remain unclear. PAHs are produced when we burn substances like coal, petrol, diesel and tobacco. Dr Holly Shiels has previously shown in fish heart cells that PAHs have damaging effects on important heart cell machinery. They can affect ‘ion channels’ and ‘ion transporters’, which control the heart’s normal rhythm and ability to pump blood. Most studies of the effects of PAHs have focused on a substance called phenanthrene, but there are other PAHs which are thought to contribute to heart problems disease but have not yet been explored. Dr Shiels will expand on previous studies by looking at the effects of a range of PAHs on individual human heart cells and on hearts from sheep and zebrafish. She will explore how they alter the heart’s ability to contract. The results will provide new insights into the potential of PAHs to cause heart damage function in humans.