From November 16 to 18, the American Heart Association held its Scientific Sessions in Chicago to present the latest advancements in cardiovascular diseases. Freddy Ganse, a predoctoral researcher from the Cardiovascular Diseases group at Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Spanish Cardiovascular Diseases Research Network (CIBERCV), received the Paul Dudley White award for leading the best study presented by a researcher from a Spanish center during these sessions.

The study led by Ganse and his team analyzed how chronic exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP), simulating the effects of air pollution, may increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, that is, irregular heart rhythms. The researchers observed that isolated rat hearts* previously exposed to these particles over a period of three weeks exhibited a higher inducibility of sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias, an effect associated with increased interstitial fibrosis, which interferes with normal heart function. These results suggest that prolonged exposure to atmospheric pollutants can affect both the structure and rhythm of the heartbeats.

Among the mechanisms involved in these effects, DEP generates oxidative stress in the myocardium, with the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), along with inflammatory infiltration and alterations in various signaling pathways. All of these factors contribute to a pro-fibrotic response, ultimately promoting the development of arrhythmias. The study also evaluated the use of cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NP), a compound with antioxidant properties, to mitigate these negative effects. It was shown that treating the animals with this antioxidant reduced DEP-induced arrhythmias, reversed the fibrotic process, and decreased inflammatory infiltration. Altogether, these findings suggest that this treatment could be a promising strategy to mitigate the harmful effects of air pollution on heart health.

This work was conducted in collaboration with the Pharmacokinetics Nanoparticles group at VHIR, Sant Pau Research Institute, the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB-CSIC), and the CIBER in Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN).

*Institutional Declaration on the Use of Animals in Research