title: Serum cytokine profiles of Khorasan veterans 23 years after sulfur mustard exposure.
abstract: Sulfur mustard (SM) is an incapacitating chemical warfare agent that was used against Iranian soldiers during the period from 1983 to 1988. We have investigated serum cytokines profiles of Khorasan veterans who were exposed to SM >23 years earlier. Forty-four male Iranian veterans who had >40% disabilities due to delayed complications of SM poisoning and had disabilities were investigated. A total of 30 healthy male volunteers (relatives of the veterans) were selected as the control group. Cytokine levels were measured in the serum of case and control subjects using commercial ELISA kits. Hematologic parameters (white/red blood cell counts, hemoglobin levels, immune cell differentials) were also performed on blood samples from the study subjects. The results indicated that serum levels of ICAM-1 were significantly higher in the samples from SM-exposed veterans (772.8 [± 15.1] ng/ml [p=0.014] vs. control values of 710.2 [± 20.0] ng/ml). On the other hand, serum IL-1β, IL-8 levels and TNFα, were significantly lower for the veterans than the controls (IL-1β: 3.8 [± 0.1] vs. 4.3 [± 0.2] pg/ml, p=0.037; IL-8: 21.0 [± 6.1] vs. 84.6 [± 20.3] pg/ml, p=0.002; TNFα: 4.5 [± 0.1] vs. 5.5 [± 0.1] pg/ml, p=0.027). Levels of other assayed cytokines, e.g., IL-2, -4, -5, -6, -10, and -12, IFNγ, TNFβ, and sVCAM-1 were not significantly different between the study populations. None of the assayed hematologic parameters appeared to differ as well. It seems possible that dysfunctions could have been induced in the innate immune functions of the SM-exposed veterans as a result of these changes in cytokine expression and that these, in turn, may have contributed to the increased incidence of a myriad of diseases that have been documented in these veterans, including cancers. Future studies must focus on examining the significance of these changes in circulating cytokines and their potential contribution to the development of different diseases in veterans exposed to SM.
authors.affiliation: Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Bamdad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Riahi-Zanjani
authors.affiliation: Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balali-Mood
authors.affiliation: Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed-Reza
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Mousavi
authors.affiliation: Medical Toxicology Research Center and Pharmacy School, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Gholamreza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karimi
authors.affiliation: Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadeghi
authors.affiliation: Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shirmast
authors.affiliation: Immunology Research Center, Department of Immunology and Allergy, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address: mahmoudim@mums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahmoudi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009151:Mustard Gas / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014728:Veterans; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D009151:Mustard Gas
keywords: Cytokines; Khorasan Razavi; Sulfur mustard; Veterans