Early-life Exposure to Widespread Environmental Toxicants and Health Risk: A Focus on the Immune and Respiratory Systems.
Evidence has accumulated that exposure to widespread environmental toxicants, such as heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and tobacco smoke adversely affect fetal development and organ maturation, even after birth. The developing immune and respiratory systems are more sensitive to environmental toxicants due to their long-term physical development, starting from the early embryonic stage and persisting into early postnatal life, which requires complex signaling pathways that control proliferation and differentiation of highly heterogeneous cell types. In this review, we summarize the effect of early-life exposure to several widespread environmental toxicants on immune and lung development before and after birth, including the effects on immune cell counts, baseline characteristics of cell-mediated and humoral immunity, and alteration of lung structure and function in offspring. We also review evidence supporting the association between early-life exposure to environmental toxicants and risk for immune-related diseases and lung dysfunction in offspring in later life.
Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Developmental Toxicology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China; Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; GRIAC Research Institute, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Junjun
J
Cao
Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Developmental Toxicology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China. Electronic address: xhuo@jnu.edu.cn.
Xijin
X
Xu
Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; GRIAC Research Institute, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Machteld N
MN
Hylkema
School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Eddy Y
EY
Zeng
Children's Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.
Peter D
PD
Sly
Hazardous Substances Research Branch, Superfund Research Program, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
William A
WA
Suk
Swedish Toxicology Sciences Research Center (Swetox), Södertälje, Sweden.
Åke
Å
Bergman
Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Developmental Toxicology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China; School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Xia
X
Huo
D004777:Environment; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity; D007107:Immune System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology
D015386:Hazardous Substances
early-life exposure; heavy metals; immune development; lung; persistent organic pollutants; tobacco smoke