Depleted Uranium Effects on Immunophenotyphing of Human Lymphocytes in Southern Iraq

Abdul-Wahid, Rafid

	Depleted Uranium Effects on Immunophenotyphing of Human Lymphocytes in Southern Iraq
IRAQI JOURNALOF COMMUNITY MEDICINE
Article 1, Volume 22, Issue 4, 2009, Pages 249-253
Author
Rafid Abdul-Wahid
Abstract
Background: Several studies demonstrated the toxicity of depleted uranium (DU) to the function of immune cells; the results indicated that higher concentrations of DU were able to alter macrophage functionality in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner, which led to significant decrease to the T-cell proliferation. The results demonstrated that a short-term, in addition that high-concentration DU exposure was able to perturb rapidly the interaction between macrophages and T cells, and immune function. Objective: to investigate the effects of DU radiation on the human immune system by using phenotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes of volunteers exposed at least 15 years to depleted uranium radiation from the bombing after gulf war in their residential area. Patients & Methods: Five milliliter of peripheral blood were taken from the arm of the 50 volunteers aged between 25 and 65,(means years 35.25 ± 3.3 years) for at least 15 years exposed to Depleted Uranium (DU) weaponry in their residential area in a district in northern Al- Basra City after the gulf war. Fifty age matched males, apparently healthy, and unexposed from Baghdad city away from the Depleted Uranium contaminated area served as a control group. Phenotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes had been done by direct immunofluorescent microscopy using anti –CD 3(for T-cells detection), anti-CD4 (for T- helper-cells), anti CD8 (for T- cytotoxic /suppressor cells), anti CD21 (for B-cells) and anti CD56 (for natural killer cells). Results: A statistically significant reduction of Peripheral Blood lymphocytes (PBL) percentage bearing CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD56 (P<0.01) between the exposed volunteers and control group. The mean percentage of CD4+/CD8+ ratio in exposed volunteers group was significantly (P<0.01) lowered in comparison to control group . Conclusion: Through this study we demonstrated that the chronic exposure to depleted uranium radiation can damage the cellular immune system and reduced immune cell number which impaired immune function Keywords: depleted uranium, CD4, CD8, CD21, CD56, Lymphocytes, phenotyping,
Keywords
depleted uranium; Lymphocytes; phenotyping

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