"Prolonged Exposure to Air Pollution Carbon Particles Causes Eye Damage and Alters Immune Responses"

Korea University Guro Hospital Analyzes Ocular and Immune Changes by Duration of Carbon Black Exposure
Long-term Exposure Linked to Corneal and Conjunctival Damage, Reduced Tear Production, and Lacrimal Gland Cell Aging

A recent study has found that prolonged exposure to carbon black, the main carbonaceous particle in air pollution, can worsen ocular surface damage and tear function, and may also lead to changes in systemic immune responses.

From the left, Professor Jongseok Song and Professor Woojin Kim from the Department of Ophthalmology at Korea University Guro Hospital. Korea University Guro Hospital

Korea University Guro Hospital announced on August 11 that a research team led by Professors Jongseok Song and Woojin Kim from the Department of Ophthalmology divided laboratory rats into a normal control group and groups exposed to carbon black for one day, five days, and four weeks. The team analyzed how the duration of exposure affected the ocular surface, lacrimal glands, and immune responses.

The results showed that ocular surface damage became more pronounced with longer exposure. In the group exposed for five days, the level of matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9), an inflammatory marker in tears, increased. In the group exposed for four weeks, there was damage to the cornea and conjunctiva, conjunctival hyperemia, and a decrease in tear production. Indicators related to cellular damage and inflammation also generally increased.

In the long-term exposure group, the expression of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in the cornea, conjunctiva, and lacrimal glands decreased, while the number of senescent cells in the lacrimal glands increased. In blood samples, immunoglobulin G (IgG) temporarily increased in the five-day exposure group, and immunoglobulin E (IgE), which is associated with allergic immune responses, increased in the four-week group.

The research team explained that repeated exposure to carbon black might be associated not only with inflammatory and aging-related changes on the ocular surface and in the lacrimal glands, but also with alterations in systemic immune responses.

Professor Jongseok Song stated, "We have confirmed that repeated exposure to carbonaceous air pollution particles such as carbon black can lead to ocular surface damage, decreased tear production, aging of lacrimal gland cells, and changes in systemic immune responses." The study was recently published in the international journal Environmental Pollution.

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