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Benzene-associated immunosuppression and chronic inflammation in humans: a systematic review
- Source :
- Occupational and environmental medicine, vol 78, iss 5, Occup Environ Med
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- eScholarship, University of California, 2020.
-
Abstract
- ObjectiveRecent evidence has accumulated that the immune system is intimately intertwined with cancer development. Two key characteristics of carcinogens in which the immune system plays a central role are chronic inflammation and immunosuppression. In this systematic review, we investigated the association of chronic inflammatory and immunosuppressive outcomes with benzene, a widely used industrial chemical. Benzene has been confirmed to cause acute myeloid leukaemia and suspected to cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, two cancers of the blood-forming system that affect immune cells.MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed and Embase for all relevant studies using a combination of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and selected key words. The detailed review protocol, including search strategy, was registered with PROSPERO, the international prospective register of systematic reviews (#CRD42019138611).ResultsBased on all human studies selected in the final review, we report new evidence of a benzene-induced immunosuppressive effect on the adaptive immune system and activation of the innate immune system to cause inflammation. In particular, benzene significantly lowers the number of white blood cells, particularly lymphocytes such as CD4+ T-cells, B-cells and natural killer cells, and increases proinflammatory biomarkers at low levels of exposure.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review of benzene’s immunotoxicity in humans. Based on results obtained from this review, we propose two potential immunotoxic mechanisms of how benzene induces leukaemia/lymphoma: (1) cancer invasion caused by proinflammatory cytokine production, and (2) cancer promotion via impaired immunosurveillance. Further studies will be required to confirm the connection between benzene exposure and its effects on the immune system.
- Subjects :
- medicine.medical_treatment
Clinical Sciences
Other Commerce
Inflammation
Article
Environmental & Occupational Health
Proinflammatory cytokine
immunology
03 medical and health sciences
benzene
0302 clinical medicine
Immune system
medicine
cancer
2.1 Biological and endogenous factors
Aetiology
Tourism and Services
030304 developmental biology
0303 health sciences
Innate immune system
business.industry
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Cancer
Immunosuppression
Hematology
medicine.disease
Acquired immune system
Management
Immunosurveillance
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Immunology
Public Health and Health Services
medicine.symptom
business
environment
toxicology
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Occupational and environmental medicine, vol 78, iss 5, Occup Environ Med
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....54ff763067a8691168da8ec88f6fb030