Host Defense Mechanisms in Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon Carcinogenesis

Vol. 14, No. 6, 2001

Free Abstract Article (References) Article (PDF 241 KB)

Festschrift on the Occasion of the 60th Birthday of David R. Bickers
Editor: Hans F. Merk, Aachen

Paper

Host Defense Mechanisms in Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon Carcinogenesis
Craig A. Elmets^a, Santosh K. Katiyar^a, Hui Xu^a, Hasan Mukhtar^b

^aDepartmentof Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ala., and
^bDepartment of Dermatology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology 2001;14:386-392 (DOI: 10.1159/000056372)

Key Words

Polyaromatic hydrocarbon
Contact hypersensitivity
Skin carcinogenesis
Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene
Benzo(a)pyrene
Immunotoxicology

Abstract

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chemicals that are widely employed to examine the complex mechanisms by which chemicals cause cancer. While it is clear that the tumors that carcinogenic PAHs produce elicit an immune response, the interplay between host immune defense mechanisms and earlier stages in the cutaneous carcinogenesis pathway has received little attention. Studies from our laboratories have shown that topical application of several different PAHs to mice results in the development of an antigen-specific cell-mediated immune response to them. The response is genetically determined and is mediated by CD8+ T cells. Development of a cell-mediated immune response is associated with resistance to dimethylbenz(a)anthracene tumorigenesis. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that host defense mechanisms against PAHs help to protect individuals from the carcinogenic actions of these agents. This may form the basis for novel immunopreventive strategies for individuals at high risk for development of tumors produced by PAHs.

Author Contacts

Craig A. Elmets, MD
Department of Dermatology
University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1530 Third Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-0009 (USA)
Tel. +1 205 934 5189, Fax +1 205 934 5766, E-Mail celmets@uab.edu

Article Information

Number of Print Pages : 7
Number of Figures : 2, Number of Tables : 4, Number of References : 26

Medline Abstract (ID 11598438)

Download Citation

For non-native English speakers and international authors who would like assistance with their writing before submission, we suggest American Journal Experts for their research paper editing service.