Abstract
Objectives: Few epidemiological studies have studied the effect of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on blood cytokine levels. In this study we investigated changes in plasma levels of a large panel of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors among workers from a Dutch historical cohort occupationally exposed to chlorophenoxy herbicides and contaminants including TCDD. Methods: Eighty-five workers who had been exposed to either high (n = 47) or low (n = 38) TCDD levels more than 30 years before serum collection were included in the current investigation. Plasma level of 16 cytokines, 10 chemokines, and 6 growth factors were measured. Current plasma levels of TCDD (TCDDcurrent) were determined by high-resolution gas chromatography/isotope-dilution high-resolution mass spectrometry. TCDD blood levels at the time of last exposure (TCDDmax) were estimated using a one-compartment first order kinetic model. Results: Blood levels of most analytes had a negative association with current and estimated past maximum TCDD levels. These decreases reached formal statistical significance for fractalkine, transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α), and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) with increasing TCDD levels. Conclusion: Our study showed a general reduction in most analyte levels with the strongest effects for fractalkine, FGF2, and TGF-α. These findings suggest that TCDD exposure could suppress the immune system and that chemokine and growth factor-dependent cellular pathway changes by TCDD may play role in TCDD toxicity and associated health effects.
Highlights
Immune suppression by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) has been established in animal and experimental studies (Marshall and Kerkvliet, 2010; Zhang et al, 2010)
Exposure to chlorophenoxy herbicides or chlorophenols has been shown to be associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), in particular with TCDD exposure (Kogevinas et al, 1997; Hardell et al, 1998; Bertazzi et al, 2001; Bodner et al, 2003; Consonni et al, 2008)
Chemokines, and growth factors concentrations were successfully measured in all workers
Summary
Immune suppression by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) has been established in animal and experimental studies (Marshall and Kerkvliet, 2010; Zhang et al, 2010). These studies showed that TCDD produces a wide range of toxic effects on all components of the immune system including cytokines and chemokines and might cause imbalance between T helper and T helper cytokines (Fujimaki et al, 2002; Ito et al, 2002; Nohara et al, 2002; Boverhof et al, 2004). Few epidemiological studies have evaluated TCDD effects on cytokine levels in humans. As the immune system has a possible role in the development of lymphomas in particular
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
