# Air Pollution, Circadian Rhythm Disruption and Cardiometabolic Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE · 2021 · $344,607

## Abstract

Abstract
Exposure to ambient air pollution has been linked to annually 7 million premature deaths
worldwide and 200,000 in the US and the global burden of air pollution is likely to increase due
to increasing urbanization and industrialization. Extensive research has shown that exposure to
particulate air pollution and specifically fine particulates (PM2.5) increase the risk of
cardiovascular disease and diabetes. However, despite this extensive evidence, it is unclear
how PM2.5 exposure increases the cardiometabolic risk and which susceptible states increase
the sensitivity to vascular and cardiometabolic injury due to PM2.5 exposure. In our proposed
studies we attempt to disentangle the mechanism leading to the toxicity of PM2.5 by testing the
novel hypothesis that PM2.5 disrupts vascular circadian rhythms and that this contributes to the
development of cardiometabolic disease in a new susceptibility state of circadian dyssynchrony.
This hypothesis is supported by our preliminary data showing that that exposure to concentrated
ambient PM2.5 (CAP) alters the rhythmic expression of clock genes in the murine aorta and
increases insulin resistance in mice with the disturbed light/dark cycle (circadian dyssynchrony).
As this models a real-world scenario in which individuals with disturbed light cycle (e.g. due to
light pollution, sleep deprivation) are exposed to air pollution it is of high relevance to our
modern urban 24 h lifestyle associated with air and light pollution and changes in sleep
behavior. Successful completion of this project will identify new targets of and novel
susceptibility states (circadian dyssynchrony and chronotoxicity) for PM2.5 toxicity. Results of
theses studies will be of significance in understanding the adverse health effects originated from
our modern lifestyle and could ultimately lead to the development of evidence-based guidelines
and policies to minimize the cardiometabolic effects of urbanization and pollutant exposure.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10144830
- **Project number:** 5R01ES027881-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
- **Principal Investigator:** Petra Haberzettl
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $344,607
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10144830

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10144830, Air Pollution, Circadian Rhythm Disruption and Cardiometabolic Disease (5R01ES027881-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10144830. Licensed CC0.

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