title: Developmental stage-specific changes in immunological biomarkers in male C3H/HeN mice after early life toluene exposure.
abstract: We investigated the effects of low-level toluene exposure on immunological biomarkers during different developmental stages in infant mice. Fetuses in utero in the pregnant mice on gestational day (GD) 14 as well as male pups on postnatal day (PND) 2 and PND 8 were exposed either to filtered air (control; 0 ppm), or to 5 ppm or to 50 ppm of toluene for 5 consecutive days in the whole body exposure chamber. Immunological biomarkers in the blood and spleen of PND 21 male mice were examined by ELISA, real-time RT-PCR, flow cytometry, and histological analysis. Plasma total IgG1 levels were markedly reduced in PND 21 mice exposed to 5 ppm of toluene during all developmental stages. Splenic T lymphocyte subsets and mRNA expression levels of Th1 cytokine IL-12, transcription factor T-bet, and Foxp3 were significantly suppressed in PND 21 male mice exposed to toluene during PNDs 8-12. There were changes in some immunological biomarkers in PND 42 mice exposed to toluene during PNDs 8-12. These findings indicate developmental stage-specific changes in non-specific immunological biomarkers in mice after early life toluene exposure.
authors: National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
authors: Tin-Tin
authors: TT
authors: Win-Shwe
authors: Naoki
authors: N
authors: Kunugita
authors: Daisuke
authors: D
authors: Nakajima
authors: Yasuhiro
authors: Y
authors: Yoshida
authors: Hidekazu
authors: H
authors: Fujimaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000097:blood; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*; D056724:Immunity, Humoral / Q000187:drug effects*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000276:immunology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000097:blood; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D014050:Toluene / Q000633:toxicity*; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C498833:Foxp3 protein, mouse; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor; D018664:Interleukin-12; D014050:Toluene