PM2.5 Exposure associated with Microbiota Gut-Brain Axis: Multi-omics Mechanistic Implications from the China BAPE study
Recent studies have shown that PM2.5 may activate the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by inducing hormonal changes, potentially explaining the increase in neurological and cardiovascular risk. In addition, an association between PM2.5 and gut microbiota and metabolites was established, which represents crucial parts of the gut-brain axis (GBA). In view of this evidence, we proposed a hypothesis that PM2.5 exposure may affect the HPA axis through the gastrointestinal tract microbiota pathway (GBA mechanism), leading to an increased risk of neurological and cardiovascular diseases.
