Ingredients such as trehalose and hesperidin taken as supplements or foods reverse alterations in human T cells, reducing asbestos exposure-induced antitumor immunity

Our plain-English summary of Ingredients such as trehalose and hesperidin taken as supplements or foods reverse alterations in human T cells, reducing asbestos exposure-induced antitumor immunity, by S. Yamamoto, S. Lee, T. Ariyasu, et al (International Journal of Oncology, 2021).

The study

• Authors: S. Yamamoto, S. Lee, T. Ariyasu, S. Endo, S. Miyata, A. Yasuda, A. Harashima, T. Ohta, N. Kumagai-Τakei, T. Ito, Y. Shimizu, B. Srinivas, N. Sada, Y. Nishimura, T. Otsuki
• Journal: International Journal of Oncology
• Published: 2021;58(4)
• Cited by: 6 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Exposure of human immune cells to asbestos causes a reduction in antitumor immunity. The present study aimed to investigate the recovery of reduced antitumor immunity by several ingredients taken as supplements or foods, including trehalose (Treh) and glycosylated hesperidin (gHesp). Peripheral blood CD4+ cells were stimulated with IL‑2, anti‑CD3 and anti‑CD28 antibodies for 3 days, followed by further stimulation with IL‑2 for 7 days. Subsequently, cells were stimulated with IL‑2 for an additional 28 days. During the 28 days, cells were cultured in the absence or presence of 50 <em>µ</em>g/ml chrysotile asbestos fibers. In addition, cells were treated with 10 mM Treh or 10 <em>µ</em>M gHesp. Following culture for 28 days, reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR was performed to assess the expression levels of transcription factors, cytokines and specific genes, including matrix metalloproteinase‑7 (MMP‑7), nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) and C‑X‑C motif chemokine receptor 3, in unstimulated cells (fresh) and cells stimulated with PMA and ionomycin (stimuli). The results demonstrated that compared with the control group, chrysotile‑exposure induced alterations in MMP‑7, NNT and IL‑17A expression levels were not observed in the 'Treh' and 'gHesp' groups in stimulated cells. The results suggested that Treh and gHesp may reverse asbestos exposure‑induced reduced antitumor immunity in T helper cells. However, further investigation is required to confirm the efficacy of future trials involving the use of these compounds with high‑risk human populations exposed to asbestos, such as workers involved in asbestos‑handling activities.

In plain English

This laboratory study tested whether trehalose (a sugar) and glycosylated hesperidin (a modified citrus compound) changed the effects of chrysotile asbestos on human immune cells grown in culture. No people took the supplements. The authors isolated CD4+ T helper cells from the blood of one healthy volunteer, a 64-year-old Japanese man. They kept the cells for 28 days with or without 50 µg/ml chrysotile, either alone or with 10 mM trehalose or 10 µM glycosylated hesperidin. They then measured how strongly a set of genes was switched on. In cells re-stimulated at the end, chrysotile significantly raised MMP-7, NNT and IL-17A in cells without the added compounds, but these increases were not seen with trehalose or glycosylated hesperidin. In unstimulated cells, chrysotile significantly raised MMP-7 and NNT in all three groups, with or without the compounds. The authors did not directly compare the treated and untreated groups. They concluded that the compounds may restore asbestos-related changes in these cells, and they said further studies are needed. The compounds came from a company that employs six of the authors.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory (ex vivo) cell culture experiment; described by the authors as an initial trial
• Who was studied: Peripheral blood CD4+ T helper cells from one healthy volunteer, a 64-year-old Japanese male recruited at Kawasaki Medical School (Kurashiki, Japan) in March 2020; blood was drawn in April and May 2020
• Exposure: Cells cultured for 28 days without or with 50 µg/ml chrysotile asbestos, with no added compound, 10 mM trehalose, or 10 µM glycosylated hesperidin. Both compounds came from Hayashibara Co., Ltd., which employs six of the authors.
• Main results:
  • In stimulated cells, chrysotile significantly increased MMP-7 and NNT expression in the group without added compounds; this was not observed in the trehalose and glycosylated hesperidin groups
  • In stimulated cells, the chrysotile-induced increase in IL-17A expression was not seen when trehalose or glycosylated hesperidin was added
  • In unstimulated (fresh) cells, chrysotile significantly increased MMP-7 and NNT in all three groups, including those given trehalose or glycosylated hesperidin
  • In unstimulated (fresh) cells, CXCR3 expression did not differ significantly between chrysotile-exposed and control cells in any of the three groups
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that trehalose and/or glycosylated hesperidin may restore changes in T helper cells caused by relatively long-term continuous exposure to chrysotile asbestos
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Gene expression was not directly compared between the groups given trehalose or glycosylated hesperidin and the group given neither
  • The authors described the experimental setup as very specific
  • Additional laboratory and animal studies are needed to verify the results

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure, Chrysotile, Cytokine.

Related studies

• Alteration of cytoskeletal molecules in a human T cell line caused by continuous exposure to chrysotile asbestos — M. Maeda, Y. Chen, et al. (2013)
• Decreased CXCR3 expression in CD4+ T cells exposed to asbestos or derived from asbestos-exposed patients — M. Maeda, Y. Nishimura, et al. (2011)
• Depletion of Tumor-Associated Macrophages with a CSF-1R Kinase Inhibitor Enhances Antitumor Immunity and Survival Induced by DC Immunotherapy — F. Dammeijer, L.A. Lievense, et al. (2017)
• Reduction of CXC chemokine receptor 3 in an in vitro model of continuous exposure to asbestos in a human T-cell line, MT-2 — M. Maeda, Y. Nishimura, et al. (2011)
• Accelerated cell cycle progression of human regulatory T cell-like cell line caused by continuous exposure to asbestos fibers — S. Lee, H. Matsuzaki, et al. (2017)
• Inflammatory Alteration of Human T Cells Exposed Continuously to Asbestos — N. Kumagai-Takei, S. Yamamoto, et al. (2018)

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