According to the WHO, about 3 million people die each year due to ambient air pollution. Most of the in vivo studies on the PM_2.5 effects have been done on respiratory and cardiovascular tissues. However, little is known about the effects on the tissues involved on xenobiotic removal, such as kidneys. In the present study we assess the harmful effects of sub-chronic exposure to PM_2.5 on the kidney, by investigating histologic and serum alterations in healthy and hypertensive rat models. Mean PM_2.5 concentrations during exposures were slightly above the daily WHO standard. Exposed animals showed fibrosis, mesangial expansion, decrease glomerular and tubular lumen volumes in kidneys, with an elevated BUN. Hypertensive animals also exhibited much more severe alterations than healthy animals. We conclude that PM_2.5 induces minimal or small-scale abnormalities that can be determinant for renal health preservation.

根据世界卫生组织的数据，每年约有300万人死于环境空气污染。关于PM _2.5影响的大多数体内研究已在呼吸道和心血管组织上进行。然而，对于异物去除所涉及的组织（例如肾脏）的影响知之甚少。在本研究中，我们通过调查健康和高血压大鼠模型中的组织学和血清变化，评估了亚慢性暴露于PM _2.5对肾脏的有害影响。平均PM _2.5接触过程中的浓度略高于世界卫生组织的每日标准。暴露的动物表现出纤维化，肾小球系膜扩张，肾脏肾小球和肾小管腔容积减少，BUN升高。高血压动物也表现出比健康动物严重得多的改变。我们得出的结论是，PM _2.5会引起最小或小范围的异常，这些异常可能决定了肾脏健康的保存。