Can exposure to flame retardants induce the onset and development of allergic asthma in obese subjects?

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K12612
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental impact assessment
• Research Institution: National Institute for Environmental Studies
• Principal Investigator: Yanagisawa Rie 国立研究開発法人国立環境研究所, 環境リスク・健康研究センター, 主任研究員 (70391167)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小池 英子 国立研究開発法人国立環境研究所, 環境リスク・健康研究センター, 室長 (60353538)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 難燃剤 / 肥満 / アレルギー・喘息 / 化学物質 / 環境 / 衛生

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The prevalence of obesity and allergy has rapidly increased over the past few decades. Obesity is a known risk factor for allergic asthma; however, the underlying mechanisms for the association between obesity and asthma are not fully understood. In our study, we investigated the effects of exposure to flame retardants, one of the environmental toxicants, on allergic asthma in high fat-fed obese mice. Oral exposure to tris (2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP), a major phosphorus flame retardant, with high fat diet (56.7 kcal% fat) increased the infiltration of macrophages into the lungs of male mice, but not female mice. Additionally, TBEP enhanced the proliferation of the local lymph node cells compared to vehicle in allergen-treated high fat-fed mice. These results suggested that exposure to low dose of flame retardants can exacerbate allergic asthma with obesity. Furthermore, flame retardants may have gender specific effects on allergic and immune responses.

Free Research Field

環境毒性学