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Association Between Circulating Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Percentage and Blood Lead Levels in Children

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Abstract

Lead (Pb) exposure is known to cause T helper 1 (Th1) to T helper 2 (Th2) shift in the immune response. The mechanism responsible for these effects is unclear. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are known as the principal secretor of type 1 interferons (IFNs), which have a stimulatory effect on Th1 differentiation. However, no previous study has explored the effect of Pb on pDCs. Thus, the present study was conducted to explore the correlation between circulating pDC count, serum IFNα (pan) levels, and blood lead levels (BLLs) in children environmentally exposed to Pb. A total of 82 school-going children were recruited from government and private schools in Jodhpur. BLL, pDC percentages, and serum IFNα (pan) levels were estimated by atomic absorption spectrometry, flow cytometry, and ELISA, respectively, in 82 samples. The participants were divided as per BLL quartiles into 4 groups: (A) BLL < 3 μg/dL (n = 21), (B) BLL = 3–4.08 μg/dL (n = 20), (C) BLL = 4.08–6.17 μg/dL (n = 20), and (D) BLL > 6.17 μg/dL (n = 21). Only in category D, pDC percentages showed a significant positive correlation with BLL (Spearman’s R = 0.5). Therefore, this preliminary data suggests that BLL might modulate pDC levels in a dose-dependent manner.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the AIIMS Jodhpur Intramural Research Project grant.

Funding

The study was a part of intramural research project funded by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

    Raghumoy Ghosh, Taru Goyal, Prasenjit Mitra, L. Malavika, Shailja Sharma & Praveen Sharma

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  1. Raghumoy Ghosh
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  2. Taru Goyal
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  3. Prasenjit Mitra
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  4. L. Malavika
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  5. Shailja Sharma
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  6. Praveen Sharma
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Correspondence to Praveen Sharma.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This study involves participations of human subjects with the approval from Institutional Ethical Committee (IEC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. The study was performed in accordance with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Prior written informed consent was obtained from all subjects recruited in this study.

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Ghosh, R., Goyal, T., Mitra, P. et al. Association Between Circulating Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Percentage and Blood Lead Levels in Children. Biol Trace Elem Res 199, 2508–2513 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02383-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02383-6

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