Chemosensory Dysfunction Induced by Environmental Pollutants and Its Potential As a Novel Neurotoxicological Indicator: A Review.
Environ Sci Technol
; 55(16): 10911-10922, 2021 08 17.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1345524
ABSTRACT
Air pollution composed of the complex interactions among particular matter, chemicals, and pathogens is an emerging and global environmental issue that closely correlates with a variety of diseases and adverse health effects, especially increasing incidences of neurodegenerative diseases. However, as one of the prevalent health outcomes of air pollution, chemosensory dysfunction has not attracted enough concern until recently. During the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple scientific studies emphasized the plausibly essential roles of the chemosensory system in the airborne transmission airway of viruses into the human body, which can also be utilized by pollutants. In this Review, in addition to summarizing current progress regarding the contributions of traditional air pollutants to chemosensory dysfunction, we highlight the roles of emerging contaminants. We not only sum up clarified mechanisms, such as inflammation and apoptosis but also discuss some not yet completely identified mechanisms, e.g., disruption of olfactory signal transduction. Although the existing evidence is not overwhelming, the chemosensory system is expected to be a useful indicator in neurotoxicology and neural diseases based on accumulating studies that continually excavate the deep link between chemosensory dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, we argue the importance of studies concerning chemosensory dysfunction in understanding the health effects of air pollution and provide comments for some future directions of relevant research.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Air Pollutants
/
Air Pollution
/
Environmental Pollutants
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Environ Sci Technol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Acs.est.1c02048
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS