Association between Chronic Environmental Lead (Pb) Exposure and Cytokines in Males and Females of Reproductive Age from Kabwe, Zambia

Andrew Kataba, Yared Beyene Yohannes, Hokuto Nakata, John Yabe, Haruya Toyomaki, Kaampwe Muzandu, Golden Zyambo, Yoshinori Ikenaka, Kennedy Choongo, Mayumi Ishizuka () and Shouta M. M. Nakayama ()
Additional contact information
Andrew Kataba: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Yared Beyene Yohannes: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Hokuto Nakata: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
John Yabe: School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, Lusaka P.O. Box 32379, Zambia
Haruya Toyomaki: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Kaampwe Muzandu: School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, Lusaka P.O. Box 32379, Zambia
Golden Zyambo: School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, Lusaka P.O. Box 32379, Zambia
Yoshinori Ikenaka: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Kennedy Choongo: School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, Lusaka P.O. Box 32379, Zambia
Mayumi Ishizuka: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Shouta M. M. Nakayama: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 8, 1-9

Abstract: Lead (Pb) poisoning remains a great public health challenge globally known to induce a wide range of ailments in both children and adults. The current study investigated the association of chronic environmental Pb exposure and immunomodulatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in adult males and females living in Kabwe, Zambia. The standard human cytokine/chemokine Milliplex assay was used to quantify plasma cytokines from four groups categorized as low (<10 μg/dL) and high (>10 μg/dL) blood lead level (BLL) groups, namely, low BLL female ( n = 47; BLL = 3.76 μg/dL), low BLL Male ( n = 43; BLL = 4.13 μg/dL), high BLL female ( n = 21; BLL = 23.5 μg/dL), and high BLL male ( n = 18; BLL = 23.7 μg/dL), respectively. The low BLL group was associated with increased TNF-α levels, and the high BLL group was associated with reduced TNF-α levels in female subjects. No associations between BLL and the levels of IL-8 and TNF-α cytokines were observed in either females or males, respectively. A negative correlation between BLL and TNF-α was found in female subjects, suggesting that an increase in BLL accompanied by a reduction in TNF-α. The reduced levels of circulating TNF-α in female subjects suggest that chronic Pb exposure could predispose females to immune and inflammation-related disorders than their male counterparts. Further studies are recommended to ascertain the impact of chronic Pb exposure on immunomodulatory cytokines, especially in females.

Keywords: lead; chronic; immunomodulatory; cytokines; sex-linked (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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