Air Pollution and Polyclonal Elevation of Serum Free Light Chains: An Assessment of Adaptive Immune Responses in the Prospective Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Residential exposure to air pollution (AP) has been shown to activate the immune system (IS). Although innate immune responses to AP have been studied extensively, investigations on the adaptive IS are scarce.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between short- to long-term AP exposure and polyclonal free light chains (FLC) produced by plasma cells.

Methods

We used repeated data from three examinations (t0: 2000-2003; t1: 2006-2008; and t2: 2011-2015) of the population-based German Heinz Nixdorf Recall cohort of initially 4,814 participants (45-75 y old). Residential exposure to total and source-specific particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 or 2.5μm (PM10 and PM2.5 respectively), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a

SUBMITTER: Ohlwein S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7889003 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature