title: Dermal application of JP-8 jet fuel induces immune suppression.
abstract: Chronic exposure to JP-8 jet fuel induces lung toxicity, adverse neurological effects and some liver and kidney dysfunction. In addition, inhalation of JP-8 induces immune suppression. Besides the lung, the other major route of JP-8 exposure is via the skin. In this study we tested the hypothesis that dermal exposure to JP-8 is immune suppressive. JP-8 was applied to the skin of adult female C3H/HeN mice and various immune parameters were examined. Dermal exposure to JP-8, either multiple small exposures (50 microl for 5 days) or a single large dose (250-300 microl) resulted in immune suppression. The induction of contact hypersensitivity was impaired in a dose-dependent manner regardless of whether the contact allergen was applied directly to the JP-8-treated skin or at a distant un-treated site. In addition, the generation of a classic delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to a bacterial antigen (Borellia burgdorferi) injected into the subcutaneous space was suppressed by dermal application of JP-8 at a distant site. The ability of splenic T lymphocytes from JP-8-treated mice to proliferate in response to plate-bound monoclonal anti-CD3 was also significantly suppressed. Interleukin-10, a cytokine with potent immune suppressive activity, was found in the serum of JP-8-treated mice, suggesting that the mechanism of systemic immune suppression may involve the upregulation of cytokine release by JP-8. These findings confirm the immunosuppressive effects of JP-8 and demonstrate that dermal exposure to JP-8 is immunotoxic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology-178, The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030-4095, USA. sullrich@notes.mdacc.tmc.edu
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Ullrich
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity; D005260:Female; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000633:toxicity*; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007648:Kerosene / Q000633:toxicity*; D016014:Linear Models; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D012869:Skin Absorption; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; C098607:JP8 aviation fuel; D007648:Kerosene; D016753:Interleukin-10