Kajekar Radhika
Immunobiology, Centocor, 145 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, PA 19087, USA.
Pharmacol Ther. 2007 May;114(2):129-45. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2007.01.011. Epub 2007 Feb 24.
The developing lung is highly susceptible to damage from exposure to environmental toxicants particularly due to the protracted maturation of the respiratory system, extending from the embryonic phase of development in utero through to adolescence. The functional organization of the lungs requires a coordinated ontogeny of critical developmental processes that include branching morphogenesis, cellular differentiation and proliferation, alveolarization, and maturation of the pulmonary immune, vasculature, and neural systems. Therefore, exposure to environmental pollutants during crucial periods of prenatal and/or postnatal development may determine the course of lung morphogenesis and maturation. Depending on the timing of exposure and pathobiological response of the affected tissue, exposure to environmental pollutants can potentially result in long-term alterations that affect the structure and function of the respiratory system. Besides an immature respiratory system at birth, children possess unique differences in their physiology and behavioral characteristics compared to adults that are believed to augment the vulnerability of their developing lungs to perturbations by environmental toxins. Furthermore, an interaction between genetic predisposition and increased opportunity for exposure to chemical and infectious disease increase the hazards and risks for infants and children. In this article, the evidence for perturbations of lung developmental processes by key ambient pollutants (environmental tobacco smoke [ETS], ozone, and particulate matter [PM]) are discussed in terms of biological factors that are intrinsic to infants and children and that influence exposure-related lung development and respiratory outcomes.
发育中的肺极易受到环境毒物暴露的损害，这尤其归因于呼吸系统漫长的成熟过程，该过程从子宫内的胚胎发育阶段一直延续到青春期。肺的功能组织需要关键发育过程的协调个体发育，这些过程包括分支形态发生、细胞分化与增殖、肺泡化以及肺免疫、血管和神经系统的成熟。因此，在产前和/或产后发育的关键时期暴露于环境污染物可能会决定肺形态发生和成熟的进程。根据暴露时间和受影响组织的病理生物学反应，暴露于环境污染物可能会导致长期改变，影响呼吸系统的结构和功能。除了出生时呼吸系统不成熟外，儿童在生理和行为特征方面与成年人存在独特差异，这些差异被认为会增加其发育中的肺对环境毒素干扰的易感性。此外，遗传易感性与接触化学物质和传染病机会增加之间的相互作用，增加了婴儿和儿童面临的危害和风险。在本文中，将根据婴儿和儿童内在的生物学因素，讨论关键环境污染物（环境烟草烟雾[ETS]、臭氧和颗粒物[PM]）对肺发育过程造成干扰的证据，这些因素会影响与暴露相关的肺发育和呼吸结果。
