Glycerophospholipid metabolism changes association with ozone exposure.

Exposure to ozone (O) has been associated with cardiovascular outcomes in humans, yet the underlying mechanisms of the adverse effect remain poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the association between O exposure and glycerophospholipid metabolism in healthy young adults. We quantified plasma concentrations of phosphatidylcholines (PCs) and lysophosphatidylcholines (lysoPCs) using a UPLC-MS/MS system. Time-weighted personal exposures were calculated to O and co-pollutants over 4 time windows, and we employed orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis to discern differences in lipids profiles between high and low O exposure. Linear mixed-effects models and mediation analysis were utilized to estimate the associations between O exposure, lipids, and cardiovascular physiology indicators. Forty-three healthy adults were included in this study, and the mean (SD) time-weighted personal exposures to O was 9.08 (4.06) ppb. With shorter exposure durations, O increases were associated with increasing PC and lysoPC levels; whereas at longer exposure times, the opposite relationship was shown. Furthermore, two specific lipids, namely lysoPC a C26:0 and lysoPC a C17:0, showed significantly positive mediating effects on associations of long-term O exposure with pulse wave velocity and systolic blood pressure, respectively. Alterations in specific lipids may underlie the cardiovascular effects of O exposure.