Features of immunological indicators in children with allergy modified by nickel contamination of biomedia and polymorphism of CPOX rs1131857 detoxification gene

Introduction. The impact of unfavourable environmental chemical factors on the human immune system predetermines the conditions for the formation of pathological conditions associated with allergies.

The purpose of the study. To study the features of immunological indicator parameters in children with allergies modified by contamination of biological media with nickel and polymorphism of the detoxification CPOX rs1131857 gene.

Materials and methods. A study was conducted one hundred eighty children suffering from various forms of allergies, permanently residing in the zone of the Far North (121 of them — under conditions of aerogenic exposure to nickel aerosols, and 59 children — in a “conditionally clean” territory). The subject of the study was biological media (blood). The change in the content of specific IgE to nickel was determined by an allergosorbent test with an enzyme label. The study of cell differentiation clusters included the use of flow cytometry (CD3⁺, CD19⁺, CD3⁺CD4⁺, CD3⁺CD8⁺, CD16⁺CD56⁺). Polymorphism of the CPOX (rs1131857) gene was studied by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results. The analysis of the immune and genetic status of children with various manifestations of allergic pathology revealed cellular immunodeficiency (CD3⁺CD4⁺, a decrease in the immunoregulatory index), the development of processes of hypersensitivity to chemical technogenic haptens (IgE to nickel), as well as an increased frequency of occurrence of heterozygous AC polymorphism of the second detoxification gene. phase CPOX rs1131857, verified by significant parameters of inheritance models (OR = 2.83; 95% CI: 1.14–7.01; p < 0.05).

Limitations. The present study is not exposed to the adult population, does not consume the population, and does not consume, except in the Far North.

Conclusion. A feature of the course of allergic pathology in the children’s population of the Arctic, modified by contamination of biomedia with nickel and polymorphism of the detoxification CPOX rs1131857 gene, will be an increased frequency and duration of recurrence of allergopathology due to the addition of viral (decrease in cellular immunity) and hapten (nickel) components.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study program was approved by the ethics committee of the «Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies» (Protocol No. 3 of 01/24/2022). All patients were informed about the purpose of the study, the parents of the examined cases signed a voluntary informed consent for the child’s participation in the study.

Contribution of the authors:
Shirinkina A.S. — the collection and processing of the material, writing a text, editing;
Dolgikh O.V. — the concept and design of the study, writing a text, editing.
All authors — approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.

Acknowledgment. The study was not sponsored.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests.

Received: May 4, 2023
Accepted: October 11, 2023
Published: December 23, 2023