Mechanisms Underlying Sulfur Dioxide Pollution Induced Ventricular Arrhythmia: A Simulation Study

Air pollution has been long recognized as a hazardous factor for the human cardiovascular system. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a common ambient air pollutant that is able to cause detrimental effects on hearts. Though the cardiotoxicity effects by sulfur dioxide were well documented in epidemiological reports, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear owing to the technical limitations that exist in traditional experimental measures. In this article, we developed a multi-scale virtual ventricular tissue, which incorporated electrophysiological activities from subcellular to tissue levels and could provide comprehensive records and insightful mechanisms of the SO2 induced ventricular arrhythmias. Based on the available cellular and molecular experimental data, our findings provide a rationale at tissue level in support of epidemiologic studies pointing to the deleterious effects of SO2 pollution on cardiac function.