Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, PR China; Department of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Hygiene, College of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, Jiangsu, PR China.
Department of Immunology, College of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, PR China.
Toxicology. 2014 Oct 3;324:88-97. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2014.07.011. Epub 2014 Aug 2.
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been considered as a widespread environmental persistent organic pollutant and its potential concern on human health is raised by previous studies. In particular, children are more likely to be exposed to DEHP through gastrointestinal route and consequently are more susceptible to DEHP hazards. Some reports have uncovered a positive association between DEHP exposure and an increased prevalence of allergic diseases in infants and juveniles. Allergy is a hypersensitive reaction rooted in imbalanced humoral immunity. T follicular helper cell (Tfh), an important CD4(+) Th cell subset, until recently has been identified as a key player in humoral immune response by modifying B cells functions. Tfh cells are therefore perceived as the therapeutic target of immune disorders. In the present study, focusing on the newly confirmed Tfh cells, we examined the effects of DEHP on humoral immunity and investigated the underlying mechanisms. Using ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization weanling mice model under the condition of gastrointestinal exposure to DEHP, we found that DEHP acted as an immunoadjuvant to augment OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 production, amplified germinal center formation in lymphoid nodule, as well as stimulated the expansion of CD4(+)CXCR5(+)ICOS(+)/CD4(+)CXCR5(+)PD-1(+) Tfh cells and CD19(+)CD138(+)GL7(+) plasma cells. Based on the results of immune adoptive transfusion, DEHP-related anaphylactic response was ascribed to Tfh cells hyperfunction directly. We further proved that DEHP gavage together with OVA sensitization adjuvantly promoted the synthesis of cytokines IL-21 and IL-4 and the expression of transcription factors Bcl-6 and c-Maf in Tfh cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that DEHP has adjuvant toxic effects on Tfh cells by synthesizing an excess of cytokines IL-21 and IL-4 via over-expression of transcription factors Bcl-6 and c-Maf, leading to an increasing secretion of allergy-related IgE and IgG1.
邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基己基)酯(DEHP)被认为是一种广泛存在的环境持久性有机污染物,其对人类健康的潜在影响已被先前的研究提出。特别是,儿童通过胃肠道途径更容易接触 DEHP,因此更容易受到 DEHP 的危害。一些报告揭示了 DEHP 暴露与婴儿和青少年过敏疾病患病率增加之间存在正相关关系。过敏是一种源于体液免疫失衡的超敏反应。滤泡辅助 T 细胞(Tfh),一种重要的 CD4+Th 细胞亚群,直到最近才被确定为通过调节 B 细胞功能在体液免疫反应中起关键作用的细胞。因此,Tfh 细胞被认为是免疫紊乱的治疗靶点。在本研究中,我们专注于新确认的 Tfh 细胞,研究了 DEHP 对体液免疫的影响,并探讨了潜在的机制。我们使用卵清蛋白(OVA)致敏断奶小鼠模型,在胃肠道暴露于 DEHP 的条件下,发现 DEHP 作为一种免疫佐剂,增强了 OVA 特异性 IgE 和 IgG1 的产生,放大了淋巴结中的生发中心形成,同时刺激了 CD4+CXCR5+ICOS+/CD4+CXCR5+PD-1+Tfh 细胞和 CD19+CD138+GL7+浆细胞的扩增。基于免疫过继转移的结果,直接归因于 Tfh 细胞的过度功能,DEHP 相关的过敏反应。我们进一步证明,DEHP 灌胃与 OVA 致敏佐剂一起,促进了 Tfh 细胞中细胞因子 IL-21 和 IL-4 的合成以及转录因子 Bcl-6 和 c-Maf 的表达。总之,我们的研究表明,DEHP 通过过度表达转录因子 Bcl-6 和 c-Maf 合成过量的细胞因子 IL-21 和 IL-4,导致与过敏相关的 IgE 和 IgG1 分泌增加,对 Tfh 细胞具有佐剂毒性作用。