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Published on: February 22, 2011
Effects of environmental tobacco smoke on the developing immune system of infant monkeys
Lei Wang1, Jesse P Joad, Kristina Abel
1Center for Health and the Environment,University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Insights
Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in infant monkeys disrupts immune system development. This early-life exposure alters immune cell maturation and cytokine production, potentially contributing to childhood illnesses.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Environmental Health
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure is linked to increased childhood allergic and infectious diseases.
- Immune system immaturity in children is a suspected factor in ETS-related health issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of ETS exposure on immune development in the first year of life.
- Utilizing a nonhuman primate model to study immune system maturation under ETS conditions.
Main Methods:
- Neonatal rhesus monkeys were divided into three groups: filtered air, perinatal ETS, and 6-month ETS exposure.
- Immune parameters measured included complete blood counts, lymphocyte subsets, and cytokine mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
Main Results:
- Perinatal ETS exposure altered the maturation of IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-10 mRNA levels and the CD4/CD8 lymphocyte ratio.
- ETS exposure onset significantly affected blood lymphocyte subset distribution.
- Short-term ETS exposure in infants increased neutrophils and IL-6 mRNA levels, indicating an acute inflammatory response.
Conclusions:
- ETS exposure, both short-term and long-term (in utero or postnatally), significantly impacts immune effectors in neonatal primates.
- Compromised immune system development due to ETS exposure may underlie ETS-related childhood diseases.
Background:
Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is associated with an increased incidence of allergic and infectious diseases among children that is thought to be partly due to the immaturity of the immune system.
Objective:
We sought to investigate the effects of ETS exposure on immune development during the first year of life in the nonhuman primate.
Methods:
Fifteen neonatal rhesus monkeys studied to 13 months of postnatal age were randomized into 3 groups: (1) exposure to filtered air, (2) continuous ETS exposure beginning at gestation day 50 (perinatal ETS); and (3) exposure to ETS beginning at 6 months of age (6-month ETS). Complete blood counts, lymphocyte subsets, and mRNA levels of 12 cytokines in PBMCs were measured.
Results:
Fetal/infant exposure to ETS altered the normal maturation of mRNA levels of IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-10, as well as the ratio of CD4 to CD8 lymphocytes, compared with filtered-air control levels. Blood lymphocyte subset distribution also significantly differed based on the onset of exposure to ETS. Subacute exposure to ETS for 2 weeks in 6-month-old infants was found to increase levels of peripheral blood neutrophils and IL-6 mRNA.
Conclusions:
Short-term exposure to ETS can induce an acute systemic inflammatory response in the neonatal nonhuman primate, and long-term exposure to ETS beginning in utero or at 6 months of postnatal age can significantly alter immune effectors.
Clinical Implications:
Normal immune system development is compromised by in utero and postnatal exposure to ETS and might contribute to ETS-related childhood diseases.
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