Enhancement of immediate allergic reactions by trichloroethylene ingestion via drinking water in mice

The prevalence of allergic disorders is increasing in industrial areas and countries. Recent reports suggest that some environmental pollutants are related to the increase in allergic diseases, and we reported that trichloroethylene (TCE) is a candidate chemical for causing the increase of allergic diseases, as TCE ingestion is associated with allergic reaction enhancement. TCE is widely used in many industries, and it is commonly detected as an environmental contaminant. This study aimed to clarify the immunotoxicity of TCE in detail. BALB/c mice were treated with TCE dissolved in drinking water for 2 and 4 weeks, and the mice were immunized with ovalbumin (OVA)/aluminum hydroxide (alum) twice. On the final day of the TCE exposure period, we measured the active cutaneous anaphylaxis (ACA) reaction and the antigen- specific IgE level in serum as well as the histamine level at the allergic reaction site and assayed the proliferation rates of splenocytes collected from the animals. The ACA reaction was enhanced by TCE ingestion. The OVA specific IgE level in mice was enhanced by TCE exposure for 4 weeks. The proliferation rate of the splenocytes was enhanced by TCE ingestion for 2 and 4 weeks. The enhancement of the ACA reaction by TCE ingestion via drinking water may be related to the increase in splenocyte proliferation. On the other hand, it may be weakly related to antigen-specific IgE production.