Air pollution is associated with staggering levels of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Airborne particulate matter (PM), in particular, has been associated with a wide range of detrimental cardiovascular effects, including impaired vascular function, raised blood pressure, alterations in cardiac rhythm, blood clotting disorders, coronary artery disease, and stroke. Considerable headway has been made in elucidating the biological processes underlying these associations, revealing a labyrinth of multiple interacting mechanistic pathways. Several studies have used pharmacological agents to prevent or reverse the cardiovascular effects of PM; an approach that not only has the advantages of elucidating mechanisms, but also potentially revealing therapeutic agents that could benefit individuals that are especially susceptible to the effects of air pollution. This review gathers investigations with pharmacological agents, offering insight into the biology of how PM, and other air pollutants, may cause cardiovascular morbidity.

空气污染与心血管发病率和死亡率的惊人水平有关。特别是空气中的颗粒物 (PM) 与广泛的有害心血管影响有关，包括血管功能受损、血压升高、心律改变、凝血障碍、冠状动脉疾病和中风。在阐明这些关联背后的生物学过程方面取得了相当大的进展，揭示了多个相互作用的机械途径的迷宫。一些研究已经使用药物来预防或逆转 PM 对心血管的影响；这种方法不仅具有阐明机制的优点，但也有可能揭示治疗药物，这些药物可以使特别容易受到空气污染影响的个人受益。这篇综述收集了对药物的调查，提供了对 PM 和其他空气污染物如何导致心血管疾病的生物学见解。