Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology

Both epidemiological and empirical data have demonstrated the association between long-term exposure to fine particulate matters (PM2.5) and the burden of atherosclerosis. Strawberry, a rich source of micronutrients and several bioactive phytochemicals, has been implicated in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndromes. This study was designed to explore the effects of freeze-dried strawberry supplementation on PM2.5-potentiated atherosclerosis in apoE-/- mice, which is a spontaneous atherosclerotic model. Mice, fed with high-fat chow or high-fat chow supplemented with 10% strawberry powder, were exposed to either filtered air or concentrated ambient particles using “Ohio Air Pollution Exposure Systems for Interrogation of Systemic Effects” for 6 months. After PM2.5 exposure, plaque area and lipid area of aorta were evaluated using hematoxylin & eosin staining and oil-red O staining, respectively. In addition, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein and fasting glucose were measured using diagnostic kits. Furthermore, the levels of inflammatory cytokines in plasma were determined via ELISA kits, and the mRNA expressions of inflammatory cytokines within lung were quantitated using real-time PCR. Our data showed that long-term PM2.5 exposure potentiated atherosclerosis and inflammation in these mice; strawberries reduced inflammation and improved lipid profile, but did not attenuate atherosclerosis after PM2.5 exposure. These findings indicate that other mechanistic pathways, e.g. systemic oxidative stress, autonomic nervous system imbalance, and the direct toxic effects of particles, may diminish the effects of strawberries on PM2.5-potentiated atherosclerosis.

Committee: Qinghua Sun (Advisor); Loren Wold (Committee Member); Kamal Mehta (Committee Member); Zhenguo Liu (Committee Member) Subjects: Molecular Biology