OBJECTIVETo detect the cytokines levels in serums of patients with trichloroethylene-induced hypersensitivity dermatitis and explore the effect biomarkers associated with this disease.

METHODSTwenty-two patients with TCE-induced hypersensitivity dermatitis, twenty-two healthy TCE-exposed workers from the same workshops with patients and twenty-two comparable unexposed controls were recruited in this study. Eight cytokines in serums from all subjects were detected using Liquid Suspended Biochip; the correlation among the eight cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1β (IL-1β), IL-5, IL-8, IL-10, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β) and the correlation between IL-5 and eosinophil count were analyzed.

RESULTSThe medians of levels of IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-5, IL-10, MCP-1, MIP-1β, IL-8 among patients were 0.15, 80.13, 2.95, 6.45, 83.83, 1057.90, 440.22 pg/ml, respectively, which were higher than those among the TCE-exposed workers (0.09, 16.93, 0.11, 0.07, 28.75, 241.07, 28.26 pg/ml, respectively, all P values < 0.01) and unexposed controls (0.09, 3.14, 0.11, 0.07, 25.27, 209.64, 207.34 pg/ml, respectively, all P values < 0.01). The median of level of TNF-α among the patients was 13.26 pg/ml, which was significantly higher than that among TCE-exposed workers (4.87 pg/ml, P < 0.01) but not among unexposed controls; the median of level of IL-5 among the TCE-exposed workers was 0.11 pg/ml, which was significantly higher than that among the unexposed controls (0.11 pg/ml, P < 0.01). The median of levels of IL-8 among the unexposed controls was 207.34 pg/ml, which was significantly higher than that among the TCE-exposed workers (28.26 pg/ml, P < 0.01). In case group, except for correlation of TNF-α and IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-5, the significant positive correlations were found among any two cytokines (r(IL-1β,IFN-γ) = 0.500, r(IL-1β,TNF-α) = 0.348, r(IL-1β,MCP-1) = 0.537, r(IL-1β,MIP-1β) = 0.477, r(IL-1β,IL-8) = 0.466, r(IL-1β,IL-5) = 0.610, r(IL-1β,IL-10) = 0.626, r(IFN-γ,MCP-1) = 0.460, r(IFN-γ,MIP-1β) = 0.491, r(IFN-γ,IL-8) = 0.322, r(IFN-γ,IL-5) = 0.532, r(IFN-γ,IL-10) = 0.511, r(TNF-α,MCP-1) = 0.325, r(TNF-α,MIP-1β) = 0.283, r(TNF-α,IL-8) = 0.430, r(TNF-α,IL-10) = 0.271, r(MCP-1,MIP-1β) = 0.659, r(MCP-1,IL-8) = 0.526, r(MCP-1,IL-5) = 0.504, r(MCP-1,IL-10) = 0.614, r(MIP-1β,IL-8) = 0.601, r(MIP-1β,IL-5) = 0.451, r(MIP-1β,IL-10) = 0.579, r(IL-8,IL-5) = 0.255, r(IL-8,IL-10) = 0.403, r(IL-5,IL-10) = 0.798, all P values < 0.05). The median of level of IL-5 among the patients with high eosinophils counts was 8.92 pg/ml, which was significantly higher than that among the patients with low eosinophils counts (1.04 pg/ml, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe abnormal production of IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-8, MCP-1, MIP-1β, IL-5 and IL-10 was related with the pathogenesis of hypersensitivity dermatitis induced by TCE. These cytokines could be used as referential indexes in the early health surveillance and clinic disease treatment.