title: Immunological effect of PM2.5 on cytokine production in female Wistar rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the immunological effect of PM2.5 on cytokine production in female Wistar rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female Wistar rats were given 0.3 mg, 0.75 mg, 2 mg, 5 mg of PM2.5 per 0.5 mL saline, respectively. Saline was used as the negative control. TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels in the branchoalveolar lavage were measured by ELISA, and mRNA expression levels in lung tissue were detected by RT-PCR. Alveolar macrophages were collected for testing phogacytic function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exposure to PM2.5 stimulated TNF-alpha production in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05), However, no statistically significant difference was found. No time-dependent change in TNF-a and IL-6 production was found. TNF-alpha and IL-6 mRNA expressions were induced by PM2.5-exposure. The phagocytic rate (PR) was significantly decreased by PM2.5 treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PM2.5 exposure increases inflammation response of the lung in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, tissue injury induced by PM2.5 may be related to altered production of cytokines. PMz2.5 may impair the phagocytic activity of alveolar macrophages.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Beijing University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Ning-Hua
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dong-Qun
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000378:metabolism; D010316:Particle Size; D010587:Phagocytosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger