Figure 3.

Pathophysiology of air pollution-induced endothelial dysfunction, increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and subsequently arterial hypertension. Green and blue triangles are damage- and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (e.g., free DNA fragments, hyaluronan, 7-ketocholesterol, oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine, lipopolysaccharide) as well as soluble heavy/transition metals. HPA, hypothalamic pituitary adrenal; EPCs, endothelial progenitor cells; eNOS, endothelial nitric oxide synthase; ET-1, endothelin-1; ETAR, endothelin type A receptor; MMP, metalloproteinase; 8-oxo-dG, 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine; 3-NT, 3-nitrotyrosine; MDA, malondialdehyde; TIMP, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases; TLR4, toll-like receptor 4; VOCs, volatile organic compounds. Figure adapted from reference ³¹ with permission.