Radiation biology. Radioecology
ISSN: 0869-8031

Archives → 2021 → V. 61. № 5 → pp. 506-514

Article

The cytokine profile of chronically irradiated people in long terms after the beginning of irradiation

Е. А. Kodintseva^1,2, А. А. Akleyev^1,3, Е. А. Blinova^1,2

¹Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, FMBA of Russia, Chelyabinsk, Russia ²Chelyabinsk State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia ³ Southern-Urals State Medical University of the RF Ministry of Public Health, Chelyabinsk, Russia Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, FMBA of Russia, Chelyabinsk, Russia

Abstract

The cytokine network is an important integrative and regulatory mechanism of the immune, endocrine and nervous systems, disorders in which can play a role in the realization of long-term biological effects of ioni-zing radiation at the subcellular, cellular and whole organism’s levels. Changes in the immune system of chronically irradiated people, including features of the cytokine profile, were noted decades after the onset of exposure and were more pronounced in prenatally exposed individuals. The aim of this study was to assess the concentrations of some cytokines in the blood serum of residents of the coastal villages of the Techa River, exposed to chronic irradiation, 65–68 years after the onset of radiation exposure and correlations of the revealed changes with the radiation dose of the red bone marrow (RBM) and certain non-radiation factors. 406 people from the Techa River’s cohort (main group) were examined. The average cumulative dose of exposure calculated of the RBM in this group was 950.4 mGy, the median age of the patients was 70.0 years. The average cumulative dose of RBM irradiation of 149 non-irradiated people included in the comparison group was 23.5 mGy, the median age of patients in this group was 68.5 years. The groups did not have statistically significant differences in age, gender, ethnic composition and socio-economic living conditions of people. Concentrations of IL-1&beta, IL-1 (RA), IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF&alpha, IFN&alpha, IFNγ in the blood serum were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. In chronically irradiated individuals were revealed a statistically significant increase of the content of three pro-inflammatory cytokines: IL-8 (3.12 pg/ml, p = 0.010), TNFα (4.40 pg/ml, p = 0.010), IFN-γ (10,67 pg/ml, p = 0.040) relative to non-irradiated people (2.28 pg/ml, 3.61 pg/ml and 8.34 pg/ml, respectively) and a decrease of the concentration of the main anti-inflammatory cytokines. So, the content of IL-4 in the main group was 1.14 pg/ml versus 3.48 pg/ml in the comparison group (p = 0.010), and the level of IL-10 was 6.18 pg/ml relative 7.52 pg/ml to non-irradiated people (p = 0.010). Serum concentrations of IL-1&beta, IL-1&alpha, IL-1 (RA), IL-2, IL-6, CSF-GM, CSF-G, IFNα did not differ in both groups. The content of TNFα in the blood serum was weakly positively correlated with the individual cumulative dose of RBM irradiation (SR = 0.14, p = 0.003). The concentrations of IL-4, IL-10, and IFNγ showed a weak negative correlation with the age of the examined people of the main group (SR = –0.19, p < 0.001; SR = –0.12, p = 0.020 and SR = –0.16, p = 0.002 respectively). In the comparison group, IL-4 correlated with age weakly negatively (SR = –0.30, p < 0.001), and IFNγ – weakly positively (SR = 0.18, p = 0.040). The level of IL-8 in the comparison group correlated weakly negatively with sex (SR = –0.18, p = 0.030), in the main group such a relationship was not found. In chronical exposed people, at 65–68 years after the start of irradiation, pro-inflammatory changes in the serum cytokine profile with signs of imbalance were revealed. These changes did not depend (for most parameters) or little depended of the dose of RBM irradiation (TNFα concentration) and age (IL-4, IL-10 and IFNγ concentrations) of patients.

Keywords

Chronic exposure, river Techa, long-term periods, cytokines, Non-radiation factors