Airborne house dust elicits a local lymph node reaction and has an adjuvant effect on specific IgE production in the mouse

• Published in: Toxicology (Amsterdam) Vol. 129; no. 2; pp. 227 - 236
• Main Authors: Ormstad, Heidi, Gaarder, Per Ivar, Johansen, B.V., Løvik, Martinus
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 21-08-1998; Amsterdam Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adjuvant; Allergic diseases; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Count; Cell Division; Diesel exhaust; Dust - adverse effects; Female; IgE; Immunoglobulin E - biosynthesis; Immunopathology; Lymph Nodes - immunology; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Ovalbumin - immunology; Popliteal lymph node; Respiratory and ent allergic diseases; Suspended particulate matter; IgE, immunoglobulin E; Suspended particulate matter; IgE; OA, ovalbumin; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; SPM, suspended particulate matter; PM 10, particulate matter less than 10 μm; HBSS, Hanks balanced salt solution; Adjuvant; Popliteal lymph node; CB, carbon black; PLN, popliteal lymph node; Diesel exhaust; DEP, diesel exhaust particulates; Immunopathology; Immune response; Lymph node; Respiratory disease; Toxicity; Hypersensitivity; Rodentia; House dust; Respiratory tract; Suspended particle; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Animal; Indoor pollution; Mechanism of action; Irritation
• ISSN: 0300-483X; 1879-3185
• DOI: 10.1016/S0300-483X(98)00079-1

Indoor suspended particulate matter (SPM) consists of many different types of particles, the vast majority of which are less than 2.5 μm in diameter. An important question is how these particles, being inhalable, contribute to asthma and respiratory symptoms. One possibility is that these particles have an adjuvant effect on the immune response and increase the IgE production, or cause a non-specific irritation in the airways, contributing to bronchial hyper-responsiveness. In this study, the adjuvant activity of indoor SPM on the response to the model allergen ovalbumin (OA) in BALB/c mice was investigated, using the popliteal lymph node (PLN) assay. The adjuvant activity on the local lymph node response was determined by measuring the PLN weight, cell numbers and cell proliferation, and the adjuvant activity on the IgE production by measuring the levels of serum IgE specific to OA. SPM was found to give a significant PLN response, both when injected alone and together with OA. SPM was also found to enhance the production of specific IgE to OA when injected together with OA, after reinjection with OA, compared with immunisation with OA alone.