Dysregulation of Cytokine Response in Canadian First Nations Communities: Is There an Association with Persistent Organic Pollutant Levels?

• Main Authors: Pascal Imbeault, C. Scott Findlay, Michael A. Robidoux, Jules M. Blais, Angelo Tremblay, Susan Springthorpe, Shinjini Pal, Tim Seabert, Eva M. Krümmel, Rasha Maal, Jason A. Tetro, Sunita P, Syed A. Sattar, Lionel G. Filion
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.663.6531; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3388062/pdf/pone.0039931.pdf

In vitro and animal studies report that some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) trigger the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Whether POP exposure is associated with a dysregulation of cytokine response remains to be investigated in humans. We studied the strength of association between plasma POP levels and circulating cytokines as immune activation markers. Plasma levels of fourteen POPs and thirteen cytokines were measured in 39 Caucasians from a comparator sample in Québec City (Canada) and 72 First Nations individuals from two northern communities of Ontario (Canada). Caucasians showed significantly higher levels of organochlorine insecticides (b-HCH, p,p9-DDE and HCB) compared to First Nations.