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Immunotoxicity and Environment: Immunodysregulation and Systemic Inflammation in Children
1 Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Mexico City, Mexico Correspondence: Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas M.D., Ph.D., The Center for Structural and Functional Neurosciences, College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, 289 Skaggs Bldg, Missoula MT 59812; e-mail:lilian.calderon-garciduenas{at}umontana.edu.
Environmental pollutants, chemicals, and drugs have an impact on children’s immune system development. Mexico City (MC) children exposed to significant concentrations of air pollutants exhibit chronic respiratory inflammation, systemic inflammation, neuroinflammation, and cognitive deficits. We tested the hypothesis that exposure to severe air pollution plays a role in the immune responses of asymptomatic, apparently healthy children. Blood measurements for markers of immune function, inflammatory mediators, and molecules interacting with the lipopolysaccharide recognition complex were obtained from two cohorts of matched children (aged 9.7 ± 1.2 years) from southwest Mexico City (SWMC) (n = 66) and from a control city (n = 93) with criteria pollutant levels below current standards. MC children exhibited significant decreases in the numbers of natural killer cells (p = .003) and increased numbers of mCD14+ monocytes (p < .001) and CD8+ cells (p = .02). Lower concentrations of interferon
Key Words: children • air pollution • particulate matter • natural killer cells • endotoxin tolerance • immunity • systemic inflammation Abbreviations: NAAQS, National Ambient Air Quality Standard • BMI, body mass index • CBC, complete blood count • COX, cyclooxygenase • CRP, C-reactive protein • ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay • GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor • HDL-C, high density lipoprotein–cholesterol • HSP 60, heat shock protein 60 • HLA-DR, human leukocyte antigen-DR • IFN-
This version was published on February
1, 2009 Toxicologic Pathology, Vol. 37, No. 2,
161-169 (2009) |
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(p = .009) and granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (p < .001), an endotoxin tolerance-like state, systemic inflammation, and an anti-inflammatory response were also present in the highly exposed children. C-reactive protein and the prostaglandin E metabolite levels were positively correlated with twenty-four- and forty-eight-hour cumulative concentrations of PM2.5. Exposure to urban air pollution is associated with immunodysregulation and systemic inflammation in children and is a major health threat.