title: Effects of combined exposure to formaldehyde and benzene on immune cells in the blood and spleen in Balb/c mice.
abstract: Formaldehyde and benzene are the two major indoor air pollutants due to their prevalence and toxicity. This study aimed to explore the toxic effect on the spleen and relevant immune responses of Balb/c mice caused by exposure to a combination of formaldehyde and benzene. Balb/c mice were divided randomly into five groups (n=9/group): blank control group (Ctrl); solvent ([corn] Oil) control; formaldehyde only (FA, 3mg/m(3)); benzene only (BZ, 150mg/kg BW); and, formaldehyde+benzene group (FA+BZ). Exposures were performed for 8h/day, 5 day/week, for 2 weeks. Tail blood was collected after the final exposure; 24-h later, the mice were euthanized to permit assessment of a variety of immune endpoints. The endpoints' three areas were: (1) in living mice, body weight and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses; (2) in blood, immune cell counts and serum antibody levels (serum hemagglutination); and, (3) in spleen samples, reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), caspase-3 (cell apoptosis) levels and lymphocyte proliferation. In this study we fund (1) BZ and FA+BZ exposure can lead to the reduction in the number of some immune cells in peripheral blood; (2) Formaldehyde has certain synergistic effects on benzene-induced cytotoxicity in peripheral blood, (3) FA, BZ and FA+BZ exposure can lead to ROS and GSH depletion in spleen cells, and spleen cell apoptosis (caspase-3 increased) may be one of the downstream events, decreased splenic lymphocyte proliferation; and (4) the FA+BZ combined exposure can lead to the decreased body weight, serum antibody level (by serum hemagglutination assay).
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Biomedicine, School of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Huaxiao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Biomedicine, School of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Langyue
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Biomedicine, School of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Chenxi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Biomedicine, School of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Biomedicine, School of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Shumao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Biomedicine, School of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China; College of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China. Electronic address: yangxu@mail.ccnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China. Electronic address: xlwang@craes.org.cn.
authors.forename: Xianliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D001554:Benzene / Q000633:toxicity*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000633:toxicity*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D005557:Formaldehyde; D005978:Glutathione; D001554:Benzene
keywords: Benzene; Blood; Combined exposure; Formaldehyde; Immunotoxicity; Oxidative damage; Spleen