Effects Of Phenanthrene On Inflammation In Lung And Liver Of Female Rats

Objective This study is based on our previous study which researched the impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)on rural women in northwest of China.The aim of this study is to explore the effects of Phenanthrene(Phe)on oxidative stress and inflammation in lung and liver by establishing Phe female rat model,then the mechanism of immune impairment was studied pilotly.Methods 1.The 30 female Wistar rats(180-200g)were randomly divided into three groups including control(C),low(L)and high(H)group according to the body weight.Phe was supplied to L and H groups at the dosage of 180 mg/kg and 900mg/kg orally at first day,and with the dose 90 mg/kg and 450 mg/kg by intraperitoneal injection at the last two days.The C group was enriched with the same volume of corn oil.The blood,lung and liver tissues were collected after 72 h.2.The superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malonaldehyde(MDA)in lung and liver were detected by reagent kits and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine(8-OHdG)in serum was detected by commercial ELISA kits to evaluate oxidative stress.3.The protein and mRNA expressions of interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β),interleukin-10(IL-10),the forkhead box transcription factor 3(Foxp3)and interleukin-35(IL-35)in lung and liver were detected by Western-blot and RT-qPCR to evaluate inflammation.4.The concentration of interleukin-17(IL-17)in liver was detected by ELISA kits to explore the mechanism of immune impairment pilotly.Results 1.The results showed SOD and MDA in lung and liver,and serum8-OHdG elevated significantly in H groups compared with C groups(p < 0.05).2.There were significant increases in the protein and mRNA expressions of TNF-α and IL-6,and the protein and mRNA expressions of TGF-β,IL-35 and Foxp3 were all decreased significantly in lung in H groups compared with C groups(p < 0.05).Meanwhile,there was no significant change of protein expression of IL-10(p >0.05),however the mRNA expression was decreased significantly in lung in H groupcompared with C group(p < 0.05).In the liver,there were significant increases in the protein and mRNA expressions of TNF-α and IL-6 in H groups,and the protein and mRNA expressions of TGF-β,IL-10,IL-35 and Foxp3 were all decreased significantly in H groups compared with C groups(p < 0.05).3.The concentration of IL-17 was increased significantly in liver in H group compared with C group(p <0.05).Conclusion The results demonstrated that Phe exposure could induce oxidative stress and inflammation in female rats,and the mechanism of immune impairment might related to the balance between Treg cells and Th17 cells.This study was a pilot study which could provide the idea of follow-up research to further explore the mechanism of Phe on immune impairment.