Changes in Brain Activity of Rats due to Exposure to Fine Dust Using 18F-FDG PET

Abstract

Fine dust threatens human health in various forms, depending on the particle size, such as by causing respiratory, cardiovascular, and brain diseases, after entering the body via the lungs. The aim of this study was to correlate fine dust exposure with changes in brain blood flow in Sprague Dawley rats by using micro-positron emission tomography and elucidate the possibility of developing cerebrovascular diseases caused by fine dust. The subjects were exposured to an average fine dust (particulate matter 2.5) of 206.2 ± 7.74 to ten rats four times a day, twice a day for 90 min. Before the experiment, they were maintained at NPO to the maximize the intake of 18F-fluorodeoxy glucose(18F-FDG) and minimize changes in the 18F-FDG biomass depending on the ambient environment and body temperature of the rats. PET images were acquired in the list mode 40 min after injecting 18F-FDG 44.4 MBq into the rats tail vein using a micro-PET scanner pre and post exposure to fine dust. We found that the whole brain level of 18F-FDG standardized uptake value in rats averaged 5.21 ± 0.52 g/mL pre and 4.22 ± 0.48 g/mL post exposure to fine dust, resulting in a statistically significant difference. Fine dust was able to alter brain activity after entering the body via the lungs in various forms depending on the particle size.