Drela Nadzieja
Department of Immunology, Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland.
APMIS. 2006 Jun;114(6):399-419. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0463.2006.apm_343.x.
The thymus is a very sensitive target for environmental pollutants, which can affect this organ as well as thymocyte differentiation. A failure in thymocyte development can be due to the exacerbation of apoptosis, arrest of thymocyte maturation, generation of autoreactive T cells, and inhibition or stimulation of the output of recent thymic emigrants to the periphery. Recent data demonstrate that the immune system has the potential to maintain homeostasis under conditions of elevated risk, and the thymus plays a crucial role in this process. Environmental xenobiotics can exert their effects through receptor-mediated interactions or independently on receptor involvement. Under natural conditions organisms are exposed to a variety of xenobiotics. The final effect of such exposure is not related to the action of a single chemical, but to the action of a mixture of chemicals. The toxic effect of environmental xenobiotics on the generation and functions of immune cells may result in suppression or stimulation of the immune response. The most intensive studies have been done on halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals and various chemicals acting as endocrine disrupters. Recently, special interest has focused on the action of air particulate matter.
胸腺是环境污染物非常敏感的靶器官，环境污染物会影响该器官以及胸腺细胞的分化。胸腺细胞发育失败可能是由于细胞凋亡加剧、胸腺细胞成熟停滞、自身反应性T细胞的产生，以及对新近迁出胸腺进入外周的细胞输出的抑制或刺激。最近的数据表明，免疫系统在风险升高的情况下有维持内环境稳定的潜力，而胸腺在这一过程中起着关键作用。环境异生素可通过受体介导的相互作用发挥作用，或独立于受体参与发挥作用。在自然条件下，生物体接触多种异生素。这种接触的最终影响并非与单一化学物质的作用有关，而是与化学物质混合物的作用有关。环境异生素对免疫细胞生成和功能的毒性作用可能导致免疫反应的抑制或刺激。对卤代芳烃、重金属和各种充当内分泌干扰物的化学物质进行了最为深入的研究。最近，人们特别关注空气颗粒物的作用。
