Abstract
In recent years, water pollution has been converted to a challenging discussion in health area of human being. Heavy elements are one of the most important water pollutants and their negative adverse effects on body systems have been confirmed. In this study, investigation of effects of two heavy elements including lead (Pb) and copper (Cu) on expression of interlukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) as humoral and cellular immunity biomarkers, respectively, was aimed and PCR, real-time PCR and electrophoresis techniques were used. In this study, BALB/c mice were studied that had free access to drinking water which contained Cu or Pb salts. After 2 weeks, spleens of mice were removed, RNA extracted, and cDNA was prepared for RT-PCR. Then the expression of IL-4 and IFN-γ genes were assessed by real-time PCR. The expression of IFN-γ was up-regulated in both treated groups and the expression of IL-4 was only up-regulated in the group treated with Cu and down-regulated in the group treated with Pb. This study shows that the presence of heavy elements as drinking-water pollutants results in a disproportion of natural cytokines balances, and thus may result in a negative effect on immune system.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bowring J (2005) Heavy metal toxicity and the unborn child. Midwifery Today Int Midwife 76:48–67
Chakrabarty S, Sarma HP (2011) Heavy metal contamination of drinking water in Kamrup district, Assam, India. Environ Monit Assess 179:479–486
Ercal N, Neal R, Treeratphan P, Lutz PM, Hammond TC, Dennery PA, Spitz DR (2000) A role for oxidative stress in suppressing serum immunoglobulin levels in lead-exposed Fisher 344 rats. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 39:251–256
Faith RE, Luster MI, Kimmel KA (1979) Effect of chronic developmental lead exposure on cell-mediated immune functions. Clin Exp Immunol 35:413–420
Freundt KJ, Ibrahim HA (1990) Growth of rats during a subchronic intake of the heavy metals Pb, Cd, Zn, Mn, Cu, Hg, and Be. Pol J Occup Med 3:227–232
Gillialand F, Mcconnell R, Peters J, Gong HJ (1999) A theoretical basis for investigating ambient air pollution and children’s respiratory health. Environ Health Perspect 107:403–407
Giulietti A, Overbergh L, Valckx D, Decallonne B, Bouillon R, Mathieu C (2001) An overview of real-time quantitative PCR: applications to quantify cytokine gene expression. Methods 25:386–401
Kazbariene B, Kalibatas J, Krikstaponiene A, Zabulyte D, Monceviciute-Eringiene E (2007) Alterations of human immune system functions in relation to environmental contamination, gender and alcohol consumption intensity. Cent Eur J Public Health 15:13–17
Kelley DS, Daudu PA, Taylor PC, Mackey BE, Turnlund JR (1995) Effects of low-copper diets on human immune response. Am J Clin Nutr 62:412–416
Kvietkauskaite R, Dringeliene A, Markevicius A, Siaurys A, Acaite J (2004) Effect of low copper exposure on the antioxidant system and some immune parameters. Vet Hum Toxicol 46:169–172
Markevièius A, Dringeliene A (2004) Comparison of lead and copper exposure effect on immune cells in mice. Acta Medica Lituanica 11:14–18
Marth E, Jelovcani S, Kleinhappl B, Gutschi A, Bart S (2001) The effect of heavy metals on the immune sysytem at low concentrations. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 14:375–386
Matranga V, Pinsino A, Randazzo D, Giallongo A, Dubois P (2012a) Long-term environmental exposure to metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn) activates the immune cell stress response in the common European sea star (Asterias rubens). Mar Environ Res 76:122–127
Matranga V, Pinsino A, Randazzo D, Giallongo A, Dubois P (2012b) Long-term environmental exposure to metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn) activates the immune cell stress response in the common European sea star (Asterias rubens). Mar Environ Res 76:122–127
Muraille E, Leo O (1998) Revisiting the Th1/Th2 paradigm. Scand J Immunol 47:1–9
Nassar N, Abeywardana P, Barker A, Bower C (2010) Parental occupational exposure to potential endocrine disrupting chemicals and risk of hypospadias in infants. Occup Environ Med 67:585–589
Overbergh L, Valckx D, Waer M, Mathieu C (1999) Quantification of murine cytokine mRNAs using real time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Cytokine 11:305–312
Peinnequin A, Mouret C, Birot O, Alonso A, Mathieu J, Clarençon D, Agay D, Chancerelle Y, Multon E (2004) Rat pro-inflammatory cytokine and cytokine related mRNA quantification by real-time polymerase chain reaction using SYBR green. BMC Immunol 5:3
Schmittgen TD, Livak KJ (2008) Analyzing real-time PCR data by the comparative C(T) method. Nat Protoc 3:1101–1108
Sen G (2001) Viruses and interferons. Annu Rev Microbiol 55:255–281
Singh D, Nath K, Trivedi SP, Sharma YK (2008) Impact of copper on haematological profile of freshwater fish, Channa punctatus. J Environ Biol 29:253–257
Skoczynska A, Poreba R, Sieradzki A, Andrzejak R, Sieradzka U (2002) The impact of lead and cadmium on the immune system. Med Pr 53:259–264
Van Oosterhout A, Motta A (2005) Th1/Th2 paradigm: not seeing the forest for the trees? Eur Respir J 25:591–593
Villanueva MBG, Koizumi S, Jonai H (2000) Cytokine production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells after exposure to heavy metals. J Health Sci 46:358–362
Vinodhini R, Narayanan M (2009) The impact of toxic heavy metals on the hematological parameters in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). Iranian J Environ Health Sci Eng 6:23–28
World Health Organization (2011) Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th edn
Yin JL, Shackel NA, Zekry A, Mcguinness PH, Richards C, Putten KV, Mccaughan GW, Eris JM, Bishop GA (2001) Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for measurement of cytokine and growth factor mRNA expression with fluorogenic probes or SYBR Green I. Immunol Cell Biol 79:213–221
Acknowledgments
The authors do not have any conflict of interest and express their appreciation to Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute (RVSRI), Mashhad, Iran and Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran for their financial and technical supports.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Radbin, R., Vahedi, F. & Chamani, J. The influence of drinking-water pollution with heavy metal on the expression of IL-4 and IFN-γ in mice by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cytotechnology 66, 769–777 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-013-9626-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-013-9626-7