Publications

🐭👥 A combined mouse and human study by MARKOPOLO researchers from Mainz (University Medical Center, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and Cyprus Institute) shows that shortterm exposure to synthetic nanoparticles (<250 nm) causes damage in remote organs, endothelial dysfunction and increased blood pressure, whereas microparticles (2-4 µm) accumulate in the lung leading to local pulmonary damage without blood pressure effects.
🐭 The mouse study was based on advanced imaging techniques, functional measurements and biochemical parameters conducted in a joint effort of UMC-Mainz, MPIC, CyI and colleagues from the Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research and the Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis.
👥 In a translational approach, estimations based on global human exposure data and hazard ratios from an epidemiological cohort study suggest a substantial cardiovascular disease burden attributable to ultrafine particles (UFPs, <100 nm). The team led by CyI and MPIC reports a yearly global cardiovascular disease incidence of 5.6 (95 % CI: 1.1–9.3) million, attributable to the exposure to UFPs, corresponding to 11-12 % of the total annual cardiovascular disease incidence at the global population level.
❗These findings are worrisome and warrant further investigation since exposure to UFPs is so far not legally regulated (there are no legal limits) but obviously their contribution to the global burden of disease (and potentially premature deaths) is more pronounced than assumed.

🌍 It is estimated that 2/3 of all chronic diseases are caused by environmental and lifestyle risk factors.
🌍 Leading environmental risk factors for global death/disease are air pollution, hot/cold temperature, lead and unsafe water.
🌍 The exposome concept describes the health impact by all environmental and lifestyle risk factors over entire life course.
🌍 It also considers the biochemical changes (e.g. by OMICs signatures) by these risk factors in the human body.
🌍 Besides chemical and physical pollution, the social environment such as economic status plays a major role for exposome.

🔬 Healthy soil and clean water are essential to ecosystem sustainability and human well-being.
🔬 Chemical pollution accounts for millions of premature deaths and non-communicable diseases, particularly CVD.
🔬 Toxic chemicals cause cellular damage through oxidative stress, inflammation, and hormonal imbalances.
🔬 Micro/nanoplastics, pervasive environmental contaminants, cause vascular injury, and transgenerational reproductive effects.
🔬 Enhanced pollution controls and sustainable urban design may mitigate the global health impacts of environmental pollution.

💡 Transportation noise causes neurohormonal activation, sleep impairment and stress responses.
💡 Noise-induced stress hormone signaling via RAAS leads to inflammation, oxidative stress and cardiovascular dysfunction.
💡 Noise increases the risk of diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases.
💡 Co-exposure to noise, air pollution or lack of green space causes cumulative increase of risk for diabetes.

💡 Hypertension is multifactorial. It results from a complex interplay of biological, genetic, and environmental factors.
💡 Environmental stressors play a major role - air, noise, and chemical pollution, built environments, and food systems significantly influence blood pressure levels.
💡The "mosaic model", a conceptual framework, explains hypertension and views it as a network of interconnected causes rather than a single pathway. Identifying key nodes in this "mosaic" helps in targeting effective interventions at both the individual and societal levels.
💡Public health strategies are crucial for controlling hypertension globally. Key approaches include improving urban planning, implementing policy changes, and integrating environmental risk assessments into clinical practice.