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Int J Biol Sci 2020; 16(3):483-494. doi:10.7150/ijbs.39351 This issue Cite

Research Paper

Ginkgo biloba extract attenuates the disruption of pro-and anti-inflammatory T-cell balance in peripheral blood of arsenicosis patients

Shiqing Xia^1*, Qian Sun^2*, Zhonglan Zou¹, Yonglian Liu¹, Xiaolin Fang¹, Baofei Sun¹, Shaofeng Wei¹, Dapeng Wang¹, Aihua Zhang^1✉, Qizhan Liu^2,3✉

1. The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, People's Republic of China.
2. Center for Global Health, China International Cooperation Center for Environment and Human Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
3. The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
^*These authors contributed equally to this work.

✉ Corresponding author: Aihua Zhang, Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, China. Telephone: +86-851-8841-6181, Fax: +86-851-8841-6175, E-mail: aihuagzykdcom, or Qizhan Liu, Center for Global Health, China International Cooperation Center for Environment and Human Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China. Telephone: +86-25-8686-8424, Fax: +86-25-8686-8499, E-mail: drqzliucom More

Abstract

Endemic arsenicosis is a public health problem that affects thousands of people worldwide. However, the biological mechanism involved is not well characterized, and there is no specific treatment. Exposure to arsenic may be associated with immune-related problems. In the present work, we performed an investigation to determine whether the Th17/Treg balance was abnormal in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with arsenicosis caused by burning coal. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) on the Th17/Treg imbalance in patients with arsenicosis. In this trial, 81 arsenicosis patients and 37 controls were enrolled. The numbers of Th17 and Treg cells, as well as related transcription factors and serum cytokines, were determined at the beginning and end of the study. Patients with arsenicosis exhibited higher levels of Th17 cells, Th17-related cytokines (IL-17A and IL-6), and the transcription factor RORγt. There were lower levels of Treg cells, a Treg-related cytokine (IL-10), and the transcription factor Foxp3 as compared with controls. There was a positive correlation between the levels of Th17 cells and IL-17A and the levels of arsenic in hair. Arsenicosis patients were randomly assigned to a GBE treatment group or a placebo group. After 3 months of follow-up, 74 patients completed the study (39 cases in the GBE group and 35 in the placebo group). Administration of GBE to patient upregulated the numbers of Treg cells and the level of IL-10 and downregulated the numbers of Th17 cells and the levels of cytokines associated with Th17 cells. The mRNA levels of Foxp3 and RORγt were increased and decreased, respectively. These results indicated that exposure to arsenic is associated with immune-related problems. The present investigation describes a previously unknown mechanism showing that an imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory T cells is involved in the pathogenesis of arsenicosis and that a GBE exerts effects on arsenicosis through regulation of the pro- and anti-inflammatory T cell balance.

Keywords: Arsenicosis, Ginkgo biloba extract, T helper 17 cells, Regulatory T cells.

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