Inhalation of fine particulate matter during pregnancy increased IL-4 cytokine levels in the fetal portion of the placenta

Author(s)

de Melo, Juliana Oliveira ^[1] ; Soto, Sonia Fatima ^[1] ; Katayama, Isis Akemi ^[1] ; Wenceslau, Camilla Ferreira ^[1] ; Pires, Amanda Gonalves ^[2] ; Veras, Mariana Matera ^[3] ; Furukawa, Luzia N. S. ^[1] ; de Castro, Isac ^[1] ; Nascimento Saldiva, Paulo Hilario ^[3] ; Heimann, Joel Claudio ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Renal Physiopathol, Sch Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Dept Internal Med, Lab Cellular Genet & Mol Nephrol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Dept Pathol, Lab Expt Air Pollut, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Toxicology Letters; v. 232, n. 2, p. 475-480, JAN 22 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 21

Abstract

This study aimed to verify the development of placental and systemic inflammation in rats exposed to fine particulate matter before or during pregnancy. Wistar rats were exposed to filtered air ( control) or to a load of 600 mu g/m(3) of fine particles in the air. The gene expression of IL-1 beta, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, INF-gamma, TNF-alpha and Toll-like receptor 4 in the placenta was evaluated. The serum and placental concentrations of IL-1 beta, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, INF-gamma and TNF-alpha were measured. The total and differential blood leukocyte and blood platelet count was assessed. Compared to control animals, IL-4 content was elevated in the fetal portion of the placenta in rats exposed to air pollution before and during pregnancy. Increased IL-4 suggests that a placental inflammatory reaction may have occurred in response to exposure to fine particulate matter and that this cytokine was responsible, among possibly others factors, for resolution of the inflammatory reaction. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/05973-1 - Assessment of placental and systemic inflammatory response in Wistar rats subjected to air pollution during the pre-or gestational periods
• Grantee: Juliana Oliveira de Melo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral