Passive smoking alters circulating naïve/memory lymphocyte T-cell subpopulations in children

• Published in: Pediatric allergy and immunology Vol. 21; no. 8; pp. 1171 - 1178
• Main Authors: Vardavas, Constantine I., Plada, Maria, Tzatzarakis, Manolis, Marcos, Ascension, Warnberg, Julia, Gomez-Martinez, Sonia, Breidenassel, Christina, Gonzalez-Gross, Marcela, Tsatsakis, Aristeidis M., Saris, Wim H., Moreno, Luis A., Kafatos, Anthony G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2010; Blackwell
• Subjects: Adolescent; Antigens, CD - metabolism; Antigens, Differentiation - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Child; children; Cotinine - blood; Europe; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; General aspects; Humans; immune response; Immunologic Memory; Immunophenotyping; lymphocytes; Medical sciences; passive smoking; Population Groups; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; second-hand smoke; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - drug effects; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - metabolism; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - pathology; T-Lymphocytes - drug effects; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; T-Lymphocytes - pathology; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - adverse effects; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - prevention & control; Europe; Human; Immunopathology; Pediatrics; Memory disorder; Cognitive disorder; Immune response; lymphocytes; Naive cell; second-hand smoke; Hand; Cell subpopulation; Memory lymphocyte; Immunology; children; T-Lymphocyte; Passive smoking; Child
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2010.01039.x
• ISSN: 0905-6157; 1399-3038

Vardavas CI, Plada M, Tzatzarakis M, Marcos A, Warnberg J, Gomez‐Martinez S, Breidenassel C, Gonzalez‐Gross M, Tsatsakis AM, Saris WH., Moreno LA, Kafatos AG. Passive smoking alters circulating naïve/memory lymphocyte T‐cell subpopulations in children.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: 1171–1178.
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S While it has been indicated that exposure to second‐hand smoke (SHS) can cause a local in vivo response, limited evidence exists on its possible systemic effects from population‐based levels of exposure. We investigated into a possible systemic response in the immune parameters and lymphocyte subsets, i.e. B cell (CD19+), T cell (CD4+CD45RO+, CD4+CD45RA+, CD3+CD45RO+, CD3+CD45RA+) and natural killer (CD3+CD16CD56+) lymphocyte subsets relative to exposure to SHS. Blood was drawn from healthy, verified non‐smoker, adolescent subjects (n = 68, mean age 14.2) and analysed for cotinine, antioxidants and lymphocyte immunophenotyping. SHS exposure was assessed using serum cotinine. Biomarker quantified exposure to SHS was correlated with a linear dose–response reduction in the percentages of memory CD4+CD45RO+ (p = 0.005) and CD3+CD45RO+ T‐cell subsets (p = 0.005 and p = 0.003, respectively) and a linear increase in the percentage of naïve CD4+CD45RA+ and CD3+CD45RA+ T‐cell subsets (p = 0.006 and p = 0.003, respectively). Additionally, higher exposure to SHS was associated with a higher CD4+CD45RA+ count (532 vs. 409 cells/ml, p = 0.017). Moreover, after controlling for age, gender, body mass index and plasma antioxidants, SHS exposure was found to be associated with the percentage of circulating naïve and memory CD4+ and CD3+ T‐cell subpopulations, as revealed through a linear regression analysis. These findings indicate a systemic immunological response in healthy adolescents exposed to population‐based levels of SHS exposure and imply an additional biological pathway for the interaction between exposure to SHS and its adverse effects on human health.