{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T15:52:41Z","timestamp":1789228361556,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,8]],"date-time":"2023-06-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1686182400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","award":["17H06396"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["17H06396"]}]},{"name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","award":["19H04279"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["19H04279"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Epidemiological studies showed the association between air pollution and dementia. A soluble fraction of particulate matters including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is suspected to be involved with the adverse effects of air pollution on the central nervous system of humans. It is also reported that exposure to benzopyrene (B[a]P), which is one of the PAHs, caused deterioration of neurobehavioral performance in workers. The present study investigated the effect of B[a]P on noradrenergic and serotonergic axons in mouse brains. In total, 48 wild-type male mice (10 weeks of age) were allocated into 4 groups and exposed to B[a]P at 0, 2.88, 8.67 or 26.00 \u00b5g\/mice, which is approximately equivalent to 0.12, 0.37 and 1.12 mg\/kg bw, respectively, by pharyngeal aspiration once\/week for 4 weeks. The density of noradrenergic and serotonergic axons was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 areas. Exposure to B[a]P at 2.88 \u00b5g\/mice or more decreased the density of noradrenergic or serotonergic axons in the CA1 area and the density of noradrenergic axons in the CA3 area in the hippocampus of mice. Furthermore, exposure to B[a]P dose-dependently upregulated Tnf\u03b1 at 8.67 \u00b5g\/mice or more, as well as upregulating Il-1\u03b2 at 26 \u00b5g\/mice, Il-18 at 2.88 and 26 \u00b5g\/mice and Nlrp3 at 2.88 \u00b5g\/mice. The results demonstrate that exposure to B[a]P induces degeneration of noradrenergic or serotonergic axons and suggest the involvement of proinflammatory or inflammation-related genes with B[a]P-induced neurodegeneration.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms24129895","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,8]],"date-time":"2023-06-08T03:59:56Z","timestamp":1686196796000},"page":"9895","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Exposure to Benzo[a]pyrene Decreases Noradrenergic and Serotonergic Axons in Hippocampus of Mouse Brain"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2267-9790","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Walaa","family":"Abd El Naby","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"},{"name":"Genetics and Genetic Engineering in Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21500, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4748-081X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cai","family":"Zong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alzahraa","family":"Fergany","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"},{"name":"Genetics and Genetic Engineering in Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21500, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7181-7091","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Frederick","family":"Ekuban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"},{"name":"Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Saleh","family":"Ahmed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yousra","family":"Reda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Harue","family":"Sato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7224-0949","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sahoko","family":"Ichihara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Natsuko","family":"Kubota","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shinya","family":"Yanagita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gaku","family":"Ichihara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mrfmmm.2007.05.005","article-title":"Diesel exhaust influences carcinogenic PAH-induced genotoxicity and gene expression in human breast epithelial cells in culture","volume":"625","author":"Courter","year":"2007","journal-title":"Mutat. 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