Long term impact of sulfur mustard exposure on peripheral blood mononuclear subpopulations--Sardasht-Iran Cohort Study (SICS).

Abstract

The most important long-term morbidity problem of sulfur mustard (SM) toxicity is pulmonary complications but the pathogenesis of these complications is not clearly understood. This study evaluates the peripheral blood mononuclear sub-sets and their correlation with pulmonary function in SM exposed civilian cases 20 years post-exposure as gathered in the context of the Sardasht-Iran Cohort Study (SICS). Samples were randomly selected from two groups, SM-exposed (n=372) and control (n=128), with the same ethnicity, culture, and demography. Three color flow cytometry was applied for peripheral blood mononuclear sub-population determination. Results indicated a significant decrease in CD45+/CD3+, CD45+/CD3+/CD4+, and an increase in CD3+/CD16+56+ percentages. It was also found that absolute count of NK cells was highly increased in peripheral blood of exposed cases. There was a significant increase in NK cell count of SM exposed group with pulmonary problems as compared to the same group without pulmonary problems (p-value<0.04) based on the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). The findings showed a significant negative correlation between absolute numbers of T lymphocyte and FVC % and positive correlation with FEV1/FVC%. The results also demonstrated that absolute numbers of monocytes had a negative correlation with FVC %. We propose that NK and T cells are probably involved in the pathogenesis or immune reactions to the delayed pulmonary complications induced by SM. This hypothesis should be tested in a more severe pulmonary complicated group.

• Authors: Tooba Ghazanfari, Amina Kariminia, Roya Yaraee, Soghrat Faghihzadeh, Sussan K Ardestani, Massoumeh Ebtekar, Ali Mostafaie, Abbas Foroutan, Abbas Rezaei, Jalaleddin Shams, Mahmoud Mahmoudi, Mohammad R Vaez-Mahdavi, Mohammad R Soroush, Mohammadreza Jalali-Nadoushan, Sakine Moaiedmohseni, Soheila Ajdary, Hiedeh Darabi, Mohammad M Naghizadeh, Hadi Kazemi, Zuhair M Hassan
• Journal: International immunopharmacology (Int Immunopharmacol) Vol. 17 Issue 3 Pg. 931-5 (Nov 2013) ISSN: 1878-1705 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 23434855 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Chemical Warfare Agents
• Mustard Gas

Topics

• Chemical Warfare Agents (toxicity)
• Cohort Studies
• Environmental Exposure (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Iran (epidemiology)
• Leukocyte Count
• Leukocytes, Mononuclear (drug effects)
• Lung Diseases (blood, chemically induced, epidemiology)
• Lymphocyte Subsets (drug effects)
• Male
• Mustard Gas (toxicity)