The Role of IL-6 in Jet Fuel Irritant Dermatitis

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gallucci RM
• Description:
  Since 1996, JP-8 has been the primary jet fuel used by the military with secondary usage in heaters, generators, stoves, and other military vehicles as well a coolant in engines and other aircraft components. It is estimated that worldwide over 2 million people are exposed to roughly 60 billion gallons of military and/or commercial jet fuel annually. Chemically, JP-8 is similar to the commercial fuel Jet-A but compared to its predecessor JP-4, JP-8 has a lower volatility and flammability. However, this change in character resulted in increased duration of topical exposure. JP-8 has been found to adversely affect numerous tissues including lung, and immune; however, the most common complaint following JP-8 exposure is "skin problems" or irritant dermatitis. Continuous or repeated exposure to JP- 8 causes skin barrier damage, inflammation, and increased production of inflammatory mediators known as cytokines, such as Tumor necrosis factor alpha and particularly interleukin 6 (IL-6). Since IL-6 is well known to be involved in inflammation as well as skin repair, and JP-8 is known to alter IL-6 expression in skin, it was hypothesized that the modulation of this cytokine contributes to the severity of jet fuel dermatitis. To investigate this, mice were obtained that that made no IL-6 (IL-6KO) or made more than normal (transgenic). Acetone (control), jet fuel, or a common irritant benzalkonium chloride was applied to there skin to assess how increasing or decreasing this cytokine would affect dermatitis. It was initially thought that, based on its pro-inflammatory properties, increased IL-6 production would worsen skin inflammation while deficiency would lessen it. However, quite the opposite was found. Increased IL-6 in the skin of JP-8 exposed mice resulted in decreased dermatitis, characterized by fewer inflammatory cells, and decreased expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. It was further found that this effect might be related to the infiltration of so-called "anti-inflammatory" macrophages (aka. M2), that are associated with healing, which has not previously been associated with IL-6. Occupational contact dermatitis ranks second most prevalent over all occupational diseases. Aside from aviation, this pathology can affect workers in essentially every industry. For instance Healthcare workers are commonly exposed to detergents from hand washing or cleaning activities, and irritants from antibacterial gels, and those in the manufacturing field can be exposed to petroleum-based lubricants. Results from this research may lead to identification of a so-called "biomarker" (i.e. IL-6) that can be used to predict the susceptibility of individuals to skin irritants, as well as suggest possible protective or treatment methods. For instance, a test could be developed that would assess a workers ability to produce IL-6 in skin. The results of this test would help industrial hygienists to determine the appropriate protective equipment for an individual worker, leading to reduced cost, and increased productivity from reduced injury. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Biomarkers Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Skin
• Keywords:
  Animal Studies Contact Dermatitis Cytokines Jet Engine Fuels Occupational Dermatitis Occupational Exposure Skin Exposure Skin Irritants
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Oklahoma ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059445
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R03-OH-009662, 2011 Sep; :1-10
• Contact Point Address:
  Randle M. Gallucci, Ph.D., OUHSC College of Pharmacy, Dept of Pharmaceutical Sciences, P.O. Box 26901, Oklahoma City, OK 73126-0901
• Email:
  randy-gallucci@ouhsc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
• Performing Organization:
  University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090701
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20110630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b5df79b81f4c1405f08601975dd2ab1e22720f99a16cad1cf5060475b95d0399d76073319330308ddded86b2f219e0eb532e0cc02e102438395913cd419e6810
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218978/cdc_218978_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.05 MB ]