eISSN: 2379-6367
Submit manuscript...
Research Article Volume 14 Issue 4
The exposure of male newborn mice to the environmental pollutant 1,2-naphthoquinone results in altered vasomotricity of the pulmonary artery as assessed during adulthood
Elly Saraiva do Amaral Neto, # Antonio Garcia Soares, # Juliana Florenzano, Flavia Neto de Jesus, Simone Aparecida Teixeira, Walter dos Reis Pedreira Filho, Soraia Katia Pereira Costa, Marcelo Nicolas Muscara,
Received: August 02, 2026 | Published: September 10, 2026
Citation: Neto ESA, Soares AG, Florenzano J, et al. The exposure of male newborn mice to the environmental pollutant 1,2-naphthoquinone results in altered vasomotricity of the pulmonary artery as assessed during adulthood. Pharm Pharmacol Int J. 2026;14(4):109-115. DOI: DOI: 10.15406/ppij.2026.14.00502
Abstract
We have previously shown that newborn male (but not female) mice exposed to the air pollutant 1,2-naphthoquinone (1,2-NQ), a compound usually adsorbed on fine particulate matter such as diesel exhaust particles, show an exacerbated lung allergic response at youth. In the present study, we investigated the consequences of the early exposure of mice to 1,2- NQ on the in vitro vasomotor activity of pulmonary artery. Vessels were isolated and mounted in a wire-myograph system in order to evaluate the vasomotor response (contractility and vasorelaxation) to different agents. Activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione (G) peroxidase (GPx), reductase (GR) and transferase (GST), and nitrotyrosine content in pulmonary arteries and serum samples from both groups were also measured. The exposure of male mice to 1,2-NQ during the neonatal period resulted in impairment of the in vitro pulmonary artery function, in terms of both contraction (induced by phenylephrine and compound U-46619) and relaxation (induced by acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside, isoproterenol and hydrogen peroxide). In addition, reduced SOD and catalase activities were measured in the vessels in comparison with the control animals. We thus conclude that, parallel to diminished antioxidant enzyme defences, the exposure of male newborn mice to the pollutant 1,2-NQ results in impairment of pulmonary artery vasomotricity during puberty, thus suggesting that increased cardiovascular risk may occur upon the early exposure to the air pollutant.
Keywords: pulmonary artery, 1,2-naphthoquinone, vascular reactivity, oxidative stress, mice
©2026 Neto, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.