Air pollution may accelerate bone marrow ageing, study finds

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) may accelerate ageing in bone marrow stem cells and weaken their ability to regenerate, a new study has found.

Published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, the study by researchers at South Korea’s Jeonbuk National University also found that pollution shifted the balance between bone and fat formation.

However, the findings have not yet been established in humans.

Researchers exposed diabetic and non-diabetic mice to PM2.5 and found increased oxidative stress, DNA damage, and cellular ageing in bone marrow stem cells. Exposed cells also showed reduced ability to multiply and replenish blood-forming cells.

The effects were more pronounced in diabetic mice, which showed greater fat accumulation in bone marrow and lower bone mineral density.

The findings are relevant to India, which has an estimated 89.8 million adults living with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

Air pollution could contribute to bone damage and osteoporosis through oxidative stress. However, Indian clinical evidence linking long-term pollution exposure to these effects remained limited.

The study also found increased lung inflammation and liver injury, along with changes in pancreatic cells involved in regulating blood sugar.

Researchers identified an inflammatory pathway that could contribute to the damage. An experimental inhibitor reduced several markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular ageing in mice.

Professor Sung-Ho Kook, who led the research, said people with existing metabolic conditions could be particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution.