Immune Suppression Following Acute Exposure to Volatile Organic Chemicals
Abstract
The focus of these experiments was to test the hypothesis that dermal application of military jet fuel (JP-8) is immune suppressive. Three specific aims were designed to test this hypothesis: (1) Does dermal exposure to JP-8 induce immune suppression? (2) What are the mechanisms involved? (3) Can you reverse the immune suppressive effects of JP-8? Applying JP-8 to the skins of mice does suppress the immune response. The mechanisms underlying immune suppression appear to involve the production of immune regulatory cytokines and biological response modifiers by JP-8-treated keratinocytes. In particular we found that the immune suppression induced by JP-8 was mediated by Prostaglandin E2 and interleukin-10. Understanding the mechanism(s) involved provided a method to reverse immune suppression. Neutralizing the activity of Prostaglandin E2 and interleukin-10 in vivo blocked JP-8-induced immune suppression. Prostaglandin E2 production in vivo was blocked with a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor. Because this class of drugs is now available for use in humans(i.e., Celebrex), the data generated here suggest that using selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors to block prostaglandin-2 production ill Vivo may present the best way to prevent JP-8-induced immune suppression in USAF personnel.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA403547
Entities
People
- Stephen E. Ullrich
Organizations
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center