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Effects of sub-chronic exposure to palladium (as potassium hexachloro-palladate) on cytokines in male Wistar rats

1Institute of Occupational Medicine, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy

G Carelli

1Institute of Occupational Medicine, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy

A Marinaccio

2Department of Occupational Medicine, ISPESL-National Institute for Occupational Safety and Prevention, Rome, Italy

L Fontana

1Institute of Occupational Medicine, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy

EJ Calabrese

3Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA edwardc{at}schoolph.umass.edu

Palladium (Pd) is a heavy metal belonging to the platinum group elements. It has been shown that Pd and its compounds can cause sensitization, asthma and dermatologic disorders. In this study, Wistar rats were exposed for 3 months to 0, 1, 10, 100, and 250 ng/ml of Pd (as potassium hexachloro-palladate) in drinking water. At the end of exposure, possible changes in two type-1 cytokines [interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (INF)-] and one type-2 cytokine (IL-4) in the serum were measured. After the sub-chronic exposure, analysis of variance of IL-2 and INF- response shows that the difference between mean values in the groups of animals exposed reaches statistical significance for IL-2 (P = 0.001), showing a J-shaped dose–response relationship. At the higher dose of 250 ng/ml Pd, it was observed a significant increase in IL-2 production when compared with the controls. Furthermore at 1 and 10 ng/ml of Pd we observed an increase of INF- production that was significant at 100 ng/ml of Pd, while at the higher dose of 250 ng/ml of Pd the response was indistinguishable from the control. At the doses investigated, Pd has been shown not to determine a modification of IL-4 response (P = 0.10). These preliminary findings indicate the need to carry out further investigations regarding the effect of other Pd compounds and the measurement of other types of cytokines both in the animal model used in our study and other models.

Key Words: cytokines • nonlinear dose–response relationship • palladium • sub-chronic exposure

Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 27, No. 6, 493-497 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0960327108090489


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