Engineering Commons^™

Urban Particulate Matter Activates Akt In Human Lung Cells, T. L. Watterson, B. Hamilton, Randy S. Martin, R. A. Coloumb Jr.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The normally picturesque Cache Valley in northern Utah is frequently reported to have the worst particulate (PM) air pollution in the United States. Numerous epidemiological studies conducted elsewhere have associated PM exposure to a variety of cardiovascular diseases and early mortality. We have previously shown that Cache Valley PM (CVPM) is pro-inflammatory, through a variety of mechanisms involving the release of inflammatory cytokines, unfolded protein response, ER stress, and C-reactive protein (CRP). This study was undertaken to determine whether Cache Valley PM (CVPM) would activate Akt, an upstream mechanism common to these events. Human lung (BEAS-2B) cells were treated with …