Vergleich der Wirkung der Weichmacher DEHP, DINP und DINCH auf die Lungenfunktion im Mausmodell

In the present study we compared the effect of the plasticizers DEHP, DINP and DINCH with respect to the airway reactivitiy of balb/c-mice. The research covered the question what kind of reactions of the lung function and the immune system were triggered by the plasticizers. Four groups of mice were formed, inhaling either an aerosol of PBS (control) or PBS spiked with DEHP, DINP or DINCH for 20 minutes every second day for 20 days. At the end a Metacholin based bronchoprovocation test was performed (Head-out-Body-Plethysmography) and blood samples were taken for measuring the level of various cytokines. After killing the mice via cervical dislocation, their lungs were prepared for further microscopic investigation and for performing a bronchoalveolar lavage to count the number of cells. The results revealed a significant respiratory hyperreactivity of the DEHP and DINP group compared to the PBS control group. The DINCH group mice showed no increased reactivity in comparison with the control group. The serum values revealed elevated levels of LT-B4 of the DEHP mice and an elevation of IFN- γ and IL-10 levels in the DINP- and DINCH group under use of a simple T-test. The samples of NGF, IL-4 and IL-5 showed no significant difference between verum and control group and especially the level of IgE did not change significantly. The bronchoalveolar lavage revealed elevated cell counts in each plasticizer group, but the width of dispersion showed a high level.. Due to our results, and especially due to the low IgE levels, we can conclude that the bronchoalveolar hyperresponsiveness is not based on an allergic reaction type I. It more likely is a pseudo allergic reaction which is triggered by the phthalat esters, though the groups showed different entities of cytokine elevation (LT-B4 in the DEHP group and INF- γ plus IL-10 in the DINP group). In this experiment we observed no hyperreactive response within the DINCH group but higher levels of IL-10 and IFN-γ.