title: IL-22 mRNA expression in blood samples as a useful biomarker for assessing the adverse health effects of PCBs on allergic children.
abstract: To facilitate the assessment of adverse effects of very low concentrations of air pollutants on general populations, we planned to establish a reliable biomarker that is also useful in identifying vulnerable populations. For this purpose we monitored several inflammation markers in blood samples from 2 year old Japanese children (N = 30), and found that those children living close to major highways (<50 m) show higher levels of mRNA expression IL-22 in their blood samples than those living further away (+50 m). This tendency was more pronounced among subjects showing positive IgE against egg and milk. We further examined association between IL-22 mRNA expression and PCB residues and found a number of significant positive correlations between each individual PCB congener and IL-22 expression. To identify the most vulnerable population among those children we selected asthma as a typical allergy-related disease, and could show that there are significant differences in the levels of IL-22 mRNA expression between IgE negative non-asthmatic subject and asthmatic children showing positive IgE reaction toward egg or milk, again. These observations support our main conclusion that IL-22 expression is a sensitive biomarker which is useful in identifying sub-populations of children who are especially vulnerable to air pollution.
authors: Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California Davis, 95616, USA. tsuji@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
authors: Mayumi
authors: M
authors: Tsuji
authors: Toshihiro
authors: T
authors: Kawamoto
authors: Chihaya
authors: C
authors: Koriyama
authors: Fumio
authors: F
authors: Matsumura
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007223:Infant; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007564:Japan; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000097043:Interleukin-22
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D007378:Interleukins; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000097043:Interleukin-22