PM2.5 exposure induces alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and causes emphysema through p53/Siva-1

Objective This study aims to investigate whether PM2.5 exposure is involved in the induction of alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and the progression of emphysema in mice, and to further explore its specific molecular mechanism. Materials and methods A certain number of PM2.5 exposed mice and normal control mice were selected, and a lung resection operation was performed to collect the pulmonary tissue samples, which were then analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE however, simultaneous overexpression of Siva-1 could further increase the clv-caspase3 protein level. Additionally, flow cytometry also revealed that PM2.5 exposure induced apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells, while the knockdown of p53 reduced that, which could be promoted by the overexpression of Siva-1. Conclusions PM2.5 exposure can promote the transcription of Siva-1 to induce apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells and accelerate the progression of emphysema in mice by enhancing p53 protein expression.