Epidemiological evidence in the effects of ambient particulate matter components on cardiovascular biomarkers: A systematic review

Background and Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are associated with a heavy health burden globally. Although there are several studies and reviews with a focus on the effects of ambient particulate matter on CVDs, presently, review of the association between particulate matter components and cardiovascular biomarkers has not been reported. Therefore, in this study, we reviewed the effects of particulate matter exposure on the levels of cardiovascular biomarkers. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched for related studies published between January 1, 2010, and May 30, 2021, using keywords, including particle, particulate, constituent, component, composition, cardiovascular biomarker, inflammation, oxidative stress, coagulation vasoactivity, and lipid metabolism. Results: Ten studies, which met the inclusion criteria, highlighted the existence of significant associations between particulate matter components and the levels of cardiovascular biomarkers, including lipid, inflammation and coagulation biomarkers, etc. However, multicenter studies evidence regarding the effects of long-term exposure to particulate matter components on cardiovascular biomarkers is still lacking. Further, studies with a focus on proteomics, and metabolomics of cardiovascular biomarkers owing to particulate matter exposure are also scarce. Conclusions: Exposure to particulate matter components was found to be significantly associated with cardiovascular biomarkers. However, in future, it would be necessary to conduct multicenter studies on the effects of long-term exposure to particulate components on the levels of cardiovascular biomarkers.