Paraquat Preferentially Induces Apoptosis of Late Stage Effector Lymphocyte and Impairs Memory Immune Response in Mice

Yiming Shao, Yifan Zhao, Tingting Zhu, Fen Zhang, Xiuli Chang, Yubin Zhang and Zhijun Zhou
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Yiming Shao: School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, MOE, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Yifan Zhao: School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, MOE, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Tingting Zhu: School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, MOE, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Fen Zhang: School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, MOE, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Xiuli Chang: School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, MOE, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Yubin Zhang: School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, MOE, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Zhijun Zhou: School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, MOE, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: Paraquat (PQ) is a toxic non-selective herbicide. To date, the effect of PQ on memory immune response is still unknown. We investigated the impact of PQ on memory immune response. Adult C57BL/6 mice were subcutaneously injected with 2 mg/kg PQ, 20 mg/kg PQ or vehicle control every three days for two weeks. A single injection of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) at day four after the initial PQ treatment was used to induce a primary immune response; a second KLH challenge was performed at three months post the first KLH immunization to induce a secondary immune response. In steady state, treatment with 20 mg/kg PQ reduced the level of serum total IgG, but not that of IgM; treatment with 20 mg/kg PQ decreased the number of effector and memory lymphocytes, but not naïve or inactivated lymphocytes. During the primary immune response to KLH, treatment with 20 mg/kg PQ did not influence the proliferation of lymphocytes or expression of co-stimulatory molecules. Instead, treatment with 20 mg/kg PQ increased the apoptosis of lymphocytes at late stage, but not early stage of the primary immune response. During the secondary immune response to KLH, treatment with 20 mg/kg PQ reduced the serum anti-KLH IgG and KLH-responsive CD4 T cells and B cells. Moreover, effector or activated lymphocytes were more sensitive to PQ-induced apoptosis in vitro. Treatment with 2 mg/kg PQ did not impact memory immune response to KLH. Thus, treatment with 20 mg/kg PQ increased apoptosis of late stage effector cells to yield less memory cells and thereafter impair memory immune response, providing a novel understanding of the immunotoxicity of PQ.

Keywords: paraquat; memory immune response; keyhole limpet hemocyanin; apoptosis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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