1 Institute of Dermatology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
2 Center for Scientific Research, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
Int J Toxicol. 2018 Mar/Apr;37(2):155-163. doi: 10.1177/1091581818757036. Epub 2018 Mar 19.
The role of environmental factors in autoimmune diseases has been increasingly recognized. While major advance has been made in understanding biological pathogen-induced autoimmune diseases, chemically triggered autoimmunity is poorly understood. Trichloroethylene (TCE), a common environmental pollutant, has recently been shown to induce autoimmunity. This study explored whether TCE could cause imbalance of T helper (Th) cell subsets which would contribute to the pathogenesis of TCE-induced medicamentosa-like dermatitis. BALB/c mice were treated with TCE via drinking water at doses of 2.5 or 5.0 mg/mL for 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Trichloroethylene exposure caused time- and dose-dependent increase in Th1, Th2, and Th17 and decrease in regulatory cell (Treg) in the spleen at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks, with greatest changes mainly at 4 weeks. These effects were mirrored by similar changes in the expression of their corresponding cytokines interferon-γ, interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-17A, and IL-10. Mechanistically, these phenotypic changes were accounted for by alterations to their respective master transcription factors T-box expressed in T cells, GATA-binding protein 3, Retinoic acid-related orphan receptor ct (RORct), and forkhead box P3. Of interest, TCE treatment shifted the ratios of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg; specifically, TCE increased Th17/Treg. These findings provide the first evidence that TCE exposure significantly changes the Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm and their specific cytokines driven by altered master transcription factors. This may promote autoimmune reactions in the pathogenesis of TCE-induced skin sensitization and associated damage to other tissues.
环境因素在自身免疫性疾病中的作用已越来越受到重视。虽然在理解生物病原体引起的自身免疫性疾病方面取得了重大进展,但对化学物质触发的自身免疫仍知之甚少。三氯乙烯(TCE)是一种常见的环境污染物,最近已被证明可引起自身免疫。本研究探讨了 TCE 是否会导致辅助性 T 细胞(Th)亚群失衡,从而导致 TCE 诱导的类药物性皮炎发病机制。BALB/c 小鼠通过饮用水以 2.5 或 5.0mg/mL 的剂量处理 TCE,持续 2、4、8、12 和 16 周。TCE 暴露导致 Th1、Th2 和 Th17 的时间和剂量依赖性增加,以及 2、4、8、12 和 16 周时调节性细胞(Treg)的减少,主要变化发生在 4 周时。其相应细胞因子干扰素-γ、白细胞介素 4(IL-4)、白细胞介素 17A(IL-17A)和白细胞介素 10(IL-10)的表达也发生了类似的变化。在机制上,这些表型变化归因于各自的主转录因子 T 细胞表达的 T 盒、GATA 结合蛋白 3、维甲酸相关孤儿受体 ct(RORct)和叉头框 P3 的改变。有趣的是,TCE 处理改变了 Th1/Th2 和 Th17/Treg 的比例;具体来说,TCE 增加了 Th17/Treg。这些发现首次提供了证据,表明 TCE 暴露显著改变了 Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg 范式及其由改变的主转录因子驱动的特定细胞因子。这可能会促进 TCE 诱导的皮肤致敏和其他组织相关损伤发病机制中的自身免疫反应。