The interaction of environmental and genetic factors has the potential to disturb immune system balance and, as a result, disrupt body homeostasis, leading to the development of disease in various organs, particularly autoimmune diseases like diabetes and its complications, inflammatory bowel diseases, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pulmonary diseases and rheumatoid arthritis. Human activities have caused unfavorable alterations to the surrounding environment through the production of diverse contaminants in air (PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations), water, and land. Chronic immune-inflammatory reactions are triggered when a person's immune system is exposed to environmental toxins over an extended period of time; smoking is a prime example of this because it has been shown to have an impact on adaptive immunity and cause autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), bisphenol A (BPA), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and particulate matters (PMs) are the typical examples of environmental pollutants that enter the human body through various pathways, impair immune system components and induce oxidative stress facilitating the production of proinflammatory cytokines and autoantibodies through distinct immune cells. This leads to specific diseases in a number of different systems, including the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and central nervous system. Ample lines of evidence have disclosed that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) expressed in the immune cells could be activated by various toxicants, such as TCDD (2,3,7,8 -Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin), a type of PHAs, to influence T/B cells, inhibit the thymocyte proliferation, finally causing immune suppression which might be related to atopic-dermatitis-like skin lesion and increased viral infections in airways. An essential defense mechanism for the body to detoxify environmental toxins is the activation of the KEAP1-NRF2 system, which heavily relies on the anti-inflammatory response to toxins.
The detailed mechanisms of development and progression for pollution-related autoimmune diseases must therefore be revealed. Understanding how environmental pollutants interact with the immune system, set off immune-inflammatory responses, and cause tissue or organ injury is also useful for designing new and effective prevention and intervention strategies, which will ultimately improve public health.
The goal of this research topic is to understand the interconnection and interplay between environmental pollutants and immune system in the body, to reveal the mechanisms of development and progression of pollution-related autoimmune diseases, and further to produce new clues to develop prevention or therapeutic strategies for pollution-related autoimmune diseases.
In this research topic, we would compile a variety of articles including but not limited to Original research articles, Reviews, Mini-Reviews and Clinical studies that broadly match the following sub-topics:
1)The influences of environmental pollutants (e.g., environmental chemicals) on tissue or organ homeostasis.
2)The imbalance of immunoregulation in important organs under the threats of various environmental pollutants and stressors.
3)The alteration of pivotal signal transduction systems in various immune cells (activation or suppression) under the insults of environmental pollutants.
4) Multi-omics methods (Single-cell RNA sequencing, Spatial Transcriptomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, etc.) to explore the mechanisms of tissue immune inflammation and immunoregulation under the stimulation of distinct environmental factors.
5)Novel therapeutic or intervention strategies for autoimmune diseases associated with environmental pollutants.
The interaction of environmental and genetic factors has the potential to disturb immune system balance and, as a result, disrupt body homeostasis, leading to the development of disease in various organs, particularly autoimmune diseases like diabetes and its complications, inflammatory bowel diseases, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pulmonary diseases and rheumatoid arthritis. Human activities have caused unfavorable alterations to the surrounding environment through the production of diverse contaminants in air (PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations), water, and land. Chronic immune-inflammatory reactions are triggered when a person's immune system is exposed to environmental toxins over an extended period of time; smoking is a prime example of this because it has been shown to have an impact on adaptive immunity and cause autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), bisphenol A (BPA), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and particulate matters (PMs) are the typical examples of environmental pollutants that enter the human body through various pathways, impair immune system components and induce oxidative stress facilitating the production of proinflammatory cytokines and autoantibodies through distinct immune cells. This leads to specific diseases in a number of different systems, including the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and central nervous system. Ample lines of evidence have disclosed that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) expressed in the immune cells could be activated by various toxicants, such as TCDD (2,3,7,8 -Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin), a type of PHAs, to influence T/B cells, inhibit the thymocyte proliferation, finally causing immune suppression which might be related to atopic-dermatitis-like skin lesion and increased viral infections in airways. An essential defense mechanism for the body to detoxify environmental toxins is the activation of the KEAP1-NRF2 system, which heavily relies on the anti-inflammatory response to toxins.
The detailed mechanisms of development and progression for pollution-related autoimmune diseases must therefore be revealed. Understanding how environmental pollutants interact with the immune system, set off immune-inflammatory responses, and cause tissue or organ injury is also useful for designing new and effective prevention and intervention strategies, which will ultimately improve public health.
The goal of this research topic is to understand the interconnection and interplay between environmental pollutants and immune system in the body, to reveal the mechanisms of development and progression of pollution-related autoimmune diseases, and further to produce new clues to develop prevention or therapeutic strategies for pollution-related autoimmune diseases.
In this research topic, we would compile a variety of articles including but not limited to Original research articles, Reviews, Mini-Reviews and Clinical studies that broadly match the following sub-topics:
1)The influences of environmental pollutants (e.g., environmental chemicals) on tissue or organ homeostasis.
2)The imbalance of immunoregulation in important organs under the threats of various environmental pollutants and stressors.
3)The alteration of pivotal signal transduction systems in various immune cells (activation or suppression) under the insults of environmental pollutants.
4) Multi-omics methods (Single-cell RNA sequencing, Spatial Transcriptomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, etc.) to explore the mechanisms of tissue immune inflammation and immunoregulation under the stimulation of distinct environmental factors.
5)Novel therapeutic or intervention strategies for autoimmune diseases associated with environmental pollutants.
