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Researchers at UCLA Health investigating the connection between air pollution and cardiovascular disease have identified new blood biomarkers—long-chain dicarboxylate acids (DCAs) and medium- to long-chain acyl-carnitines (ACs)—in samples from mice and humans exposed to air pollution. These biomarkers offer insight into how air pollution damages cell function and increases the risk of heart disease. The findings are published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Previous UCLA Health studies found a link between air pollution and cardiovascular disease, but the mechanism behind it has remained unknown.

The discovery of these biomarkers points to mitochondria as key players. When mitochondria are damaged, they cannot properly break down fats for energy. As a result, DCAs and ACs build up in the blood. This buildup may indicate cellular stress (oxidative stress and lipid damage) in the liver, which can later lead to cardiovascular disease.

Researchers identified the biomarkers by analyzing blood samples from mice and humans collected as part of two previous studies (2013 and 2019). In the mouse study, the animals were exposed to diesel exhaust for two weeks. In the human study, 26 healthy, nonsmoking adults from Los Angeles traveled to Beijing during the summers of 2014 and 2015 and were monitored for 10 weeks.

Researchers identified individual molecules (metabolites) in the mouse and human samples and measured how their levels rose or fell after exposure to pollution.

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