The Impact of the Reduction in Environmental Pollution during COVID-19 Lockdown on Healthy Individuals

Abstract

The lockdown imposed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic produced a historic fall in air pollution in cities like Barcelona. This exceptional situation offered a unique context in which to examine the effects of air pollutants on human health. The present study aims to determine and compare the oxidative stress biomarkers Th1/Th2 and inflammatory-related cytokines in healthy individuals first during lockdown and then six months after the easing of the restrictions on mobility. A prospective study of a representative sample of 58 healthy, non-smoking adults was carried out. During lockdown and six months post-easing of restrictions, blood samples were drawn to measure the percentage of eosinophils, levels of Th1/Th2 and inflammatory-related cytokines assessed by a multiplex assay (BioRad Laboratories S.A., Marnes-la-Coquette, France), and levels of 8-isoprostane, glutathione peroxidase activity, and myeloperoxidase (Cayman Chemical Co., Ann Arbor, MI, USA), to assess their value as biomarkers of oxidative stress. Six months after easing mobility restrictions, increases in the levels of 8-isoprostane (p < 0.0001), IL-1β (p = 0.0013), IL-1ra (p = 0.0110), IL-4 (p < 0.0001), IL-13 (p < 0.0001), G-CSF (p = 0.0007), and CCL3 (p < 0.0001) were recorded, along with reductions in glutathione peroxidase (p < 0.0001), IFN-γ (p = 0.0145), TNFα (p < 0.0001), IP-10 (p < 0.0001), IL-2 (p < 0.0001), IL-7 (p < 0.0001), basic FGF (p < 0.0001), CCL4 (p < 0.0001), and CCL5 (p < 0.0001). No significant differences were observed in the rest of the biomarkers analyzed. The reduction in environmental pollution during the COVID-19 lockdown significantly lowered the levels of oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, and Th2-related cytokines in healthy people.