Has anyone suspected a link between long-term waterbed use and
autoimmune diseases or food allergies? I have slept on a waterbed for
approx 15 years (not continously :) and have had food allergies for
the past 7.
Waterbed mattresses tend to contain high amounts of Phthalates (esp
DEHP). It is an additive that makes plastics (mostly PVC) softer and
more flexible. It is also found at home (vinyl flooring, wall
covering, shower curtains, plastic containers, paints, glues, carpet
backing, cabling), apparel (boots, gloves), cosmetics, musk scents,
car interiors, hospitals (tubing, blood bags), household/workplace
air/dust, etc.
DEHP falls under the category of Endocrine Disruptors or xeno-
estrogens. DEHP causes Lupus in genetically suseptible mice. Endocrine
Disruptors can cause autoimmunity. See related article below:
Spotlight on the role of hormonal factors in the emergence of
autoreactive B-lymphocytes.
Pathogenic autoimmunity requires a combination of inherited and
acquired factors. In as much as hormones influence the ***ual
dimorphism of the immune system, it is possible that they can initiate
or accelerate an autoimmune process, and contribute to gender-biased
autoimmune disorders. Not only natural hormones, but also endocrine
disruptors, such as environmental estrogens, may act in conjunction
with other factors to override immune tolerance to self-antigens. In
lupus, murine and human studies demonstrate that female *** hormones
are implicated in disease pathogenesis. In the B cell compartment,
both prolactin and estrogen are immunomodulators that affect
maturation, selection and antibody secretion. Their impact may be
based on their capacity to allow autoreactive B cells to escape the
normal mechanisms of tolerance and to ac***ulate in sufficient numbers
to cause clinically apparent disease. Both hormones lead to the
survival and activation of autoreactive B cells, but they skew B cell
maturation towards different directions, with prolactin inducing T
cell-dependent autoreactive follicular B cells and estrogen eliciting
T cell-independent autoreactive marginal zone B cells. Differential
modulation of the cytokine milieu by hormones may also affect the
development and activation of specific mature B cell subsets. This
novel insight suggests that targeted manipulation of these pathways
may represent a promising avenue in the treatment of lupus and other
gender-biased autoimmune diseases.
PMID: 16061292
Autoreactive responses to environmental factors: 3. Mouse strain-
specific differences in induction and regulation of anti-DNA antibody
responses due to phthalate-isomers.Lim SY, Ghosh SK.
Department of Life sciences, Indiana State University, 403-25 N, 6th
St, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA.
Little is known of the role of specific environmental factors in
promoting autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus
(SLE). This study addresses how exposure to phthalates, common
environmental factors in foods, and biomedical devices could affect
the immune functions of resistant and autoimmune-prone mice. We have
previously shown that immunization with ortho-phthalate evokes anti-
DNA antibody in BALB/c and NZB/W F1 mice, but only the latter suffer
from nephritis and high mortality. BALB/c mice, in contrast, develop
idiotype-specific CD8+ suppressor T cells downregulating autoreactive
B cells. Here we re****t that all phthalate-isomers (ortho-, meta- and
para-) are capable of inducing anti-DNA antibody responses and SLE-
like syndromes. Kidney pathology worsens in NZB/W F1 and to a degree,
in C57BL/6 mice after repeated exposure to phthalates. Only BALB/c and
DBA/2 overcome adverse autoreactivity by induction of Ts cells; but in
vivo depletion of these T cells renders these strains susceptible to
autoreactivity. Anti-DNA antibodies in affected NZB/W F1 are largely
IgG2a-type, while in BALB/c, DBA/2, and C57BL/6 mice IgG1-type. This
is further corroborated by cytokine analyses that imply corresponding
Th1/Th2 involvement. In summary, the commonly used phthalates appear
harmful to susceptible strains, while BALB/c and DBA/2 are spared due
to induction of Ts cells.
PMID: 15993037
Endocrine disruption in adolescence: immunologic, hematologic, and
bone effects in monkeys.
Environmental contaminants with estrogenic properties have the
potential to alter pubertal development. In addition to the
reproductive system, other systems that mature under the influence of
estrogen could be affected. This study examined the effect on immune,
hematologic, and bone mass parameters of treatment with estrogenic
agents (methoxychlor, MXC, 25 and 50 mg/kg/day; diethylstilbestrol,
DES, 0.5 mg/kg/day) given in the peripubertal period to female rhesus
monkeys. DES had striking effects on several parameters *****sed
measures CBC and clinical chemistry including hematocrit, hemoglobin,
serum albumin, liver transaminases, and lipids. Circulating
lymphocytes, particularly B cells, were depressed by DES, and a
maturational ****ft in a memory T-cell population was altered. Bone
mass and length, as measured after a 9-month recovery period, were
significantly lower in the DES group and bone mass tended to be
reduced in the femur of the MXC50 group relative to controls. In
conclusion, the data indicate that DES had a clear effect on
immunohematology and bone growth, while MXC influenced fewer
parameters. Disruption in these systems during puberty could alter
adolescent risk for anemia and infectious disease and subsequent adult
risk for diseases such as osteo****osis, heart disease, and autoimmune
disease.
PMID: 15456917
Article about Phthalates:
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NEWSCIENCE/oncompounds/phthalates/phthalates.htm
|
