Early exposure to a nonhygienic environment alters pulmonary immunity and allergic responses

Caroline L S George; Misty L White; Katarina Kulhankova; Aditya Mahajan; Peter S Thorne; Jeanne M Snyder; Joel N Kline

doi:10.1152/ajplung.00278.2005

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Early exposure to a nonhygienic environment alters pulmonary immunity and allergic responses

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Early exposure to a nonhygienic environment alters pulmonary immunity and allergic responses

Caroline L S George, Misty L White, Katarina Kulhankova, Aditya Mahajan, Peter S Thorne, Jeanne M Snyder and Joel N Kline

American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology, Vol.291(3), pp.L512-522

09/2006

DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00278.2005

PMID: 16556728

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Abstract

The hygiene hypothesis suggests that early life exposure to a nonhygienic environment that contains endotoxin reduces the risk of developing allergic diseases. The mechanisms underlying the hygiene hypothesis are unclear and may involve subtle immune system interactions that occur during maturation. Experimental objectives of this study were to use a novel animal model to test the hygiene hypothesis and to characterize early life immune system responses to a nonhygienic environment. Mice were reared in corn dust, a grain-processing byproduct with a high-endotoxin content and microbial products or in a low-endotoxin environment. The influence of early or later life exposure to corn dust on a subsequent allergen stimulus (ovalbumin) was assessed by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cell analysis, lung histology, serum IgE, and BAL cytokine measurements. The influence of the corn dust environment on the developing pulmonary immune system was assessed by BAL cell analysis and immunostaining of lung tissue. The corn dust environment contained significantly more endotoxin (P < 0.001), and the dust exposures attenuated the cellular inflammatory response to ovalbumin in the adult mouse (P < 0.01) but did not reduce serum IgE levels or alter baseline BAL fluid proinflammatory cytokine levels. The corn dust environment did not induce significant neutrophilia in lavage fluid but significantly increased the number of antigen-presenting cells in alveolar walls early in life by approximately 37%. In conclusion, exposure to a nonhygienic environment did not induce significant airway neutrophilia, yet altered the population of immunologically active cells in the lung and reduced subsequent allergic inflammation.

Animals

Bronchi - immunology

Bronchi - metabolism

Cytokines - metabolism

Dust - immunology

Endotoxins - toxicity

Environment

Hygiene

Immunity, Innate

Lung - immunology

Mice

Mice, Inbred C3H

Respiratory Mucosa - metabolism

Respiratory System - immunology

Zea mays - immunology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Early exposure to a nonhygienic environment alters pulmonary immunity and allergic responses
Creators: Caroline L S George - Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52242, USA. caroline-george@uiowa.edu
Misty L White
Katarina Kulhankova - University of Iowa, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
Aditya Mahajan
Peter S Thorne - University of Iowa, Occupational and Environmental Health
Jeanne M Snyder - University of Iowa, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
Joel N Kline - University of Iowa, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology, Vol.291(3), pp.L512-522
DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00278.2005
PMID: 16556728
NLM abbreviation: Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol
ISSN: 1040-0605
eISSN: 1522-1504
Grant note: HL-079448 / NHLBI NIH HHS ES-05605 / NIEHS NIH HHS HL-50050 / NHLBI NIH HHS HL-59324 / NHLBI NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 09/2006
Academic Unit: Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health; Anatomy and Cell Biology; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9983557311602771

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