Keywords: 
• vehicle exhaust /
• mice /
• running exhausting /
• pulmonary injury /
• oxidative stress

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to establish an animal model and to determine the effects of vehicle exhaust exposure on the running exhausting time of the model. 24 mice were divided into three groups randomly. Two vehicle exhaust exposure groups lived in the cages with high concentration of vehicle exhaust for 4 and 8 hours every day (4 h·d^-1 group and 8 h·d^-1 group)，and the control group was supplied with fresh air. Exhaustion time of running was recorded before the mice were exposed to vehicle exhaust. After 30 days vehicle exhaust exposure, the running exhausting time of mice was recorded again. The effect of vehicle exhaust on the mice was measured by comparing the running exhausting time before and after vehicle exhaust exposure. After the running exhausting test, the mice were sacrificed, and the blood was collected to detect the levels of glutathione (GSH)，superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was got by injecting saline solution into mice airways, and redrawing the saline solution into the connected syringe. The BALF was then centrifuged, and the resuspended cell pellet was used to make cytologic test. The inflammatory cytokines in the supernatant of BALF were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The lungs of mice were removed for pathological examination. After 30 days of vehicle exhaust exposure, the running exhausting time of mice were significantly reduced in the vehicle exhaust exposure groups (4 h·d^-1 group and 8 h·d^-1 group), and the 8 h·d^-1 group showed an exacerbation of the reduced running exhausting time. The serum activity of GSH and SOD was lower, and the content of MDA was higher than those of the control group. The levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in the BALF were higher in the vehicle exhaust exposure groups. Cell count results showed that the leukocyte count and neutral granular cell ratio in the BALF were higher in the vehicle exhaust exposure groups compared to those of control group. The histopathological changes of lungs were showed as inflammatory cells infiltrated in the alveolar interstitial tissues after 30 days of vehicle exhaust exposure. The results showed vehicle exhaust can reduce exhaustion time of mice by causing respiratory damage and reducing the body's ability to resist oxidative stress.