Review Article

Cytokine Network Involvement in Subjects Exposed to Benzene

Table 2

Summary of considered studies on atopy induced by benzene and/or its metabolites.

PopulationExposure substance(s)Effect(s)Reference

Nonatopic and atopic womenVehicular traffic and low air pollutionNo difference in urinary trans,trans-muconic acid Boscolo et al., 2000 [39]
Nonatopic and atopic womenVehicular traffic and low air pollutionStimulation of NK activityBoscolo et al., 2000 [39]
3-year-old childrenChlorobenzene Contribution to the risk of allergic sensitization to the food allergens milk and egg whiteLehmann et al., 2001 [40]
3-year-old childrenBenzene, ethylbenzene, and chlorobenzene Increased IL-4 producing CD3+ T cellsLehmann et al., 2001 [40]
Healthy subjectsHQ, benzenetriol, BQ, and catecholIncreased secretion of IL-4 Gillis et al., 2007 [21]
Healthy subjectsHQ, catecholIncreased secretion of IL-5Gillis et al., 2007 [21]

HQ: hydroquinone; BQ: benzoquinone.