Immune dysregulation in employees of the ferrous metallurgy enterprise under conditions of excessive vanadium contamination

Introduction. Chemical factors in production conditions are sources of constant danger of health disorders, including immunological ones, in employees of a ferrous metallurgy enterprise with a full cycle of ferrovanadium production.

The aim of the study was to assess the level of membrane, intracellular and intercellular immunoregulation indicators in employees of the ferrous metallurgy enterprise under conditions of excessive vanadium contamination.

Materials and methods. 77 people working in various production conditions at the metallurgical enterprise were examined, including 44 people-employees of the Ferroalloy shop and duplex shop exposed to vanadium; 33 people who do not have professional contact with vanadium (administrative staff). The technology of flow cytometry was used to study and evaluate the immunoregulation parameters of membrane — CD25+, CD95+ and intracellular — p53, as well as the method of enzyme immunoassay of intercellular — TNFa.

Results. It was found that those working on exposure to vanadium in the blood are higher than the reference values and the values established for working outside the exposure. For workers exposed to vanadium under the production conditions, the blood vanadium content is statistically significant (p<0.001), 3.2 times higher than the reference level and 5.2 times higher than the values obtained for workers who do not have professional contact with vanadium. It was found that the expression of CD25⁺-marker and CD95⁺-marker was statistically significantly increased (p<0.001) on average by 1.5 times compared to the values obtained in the subjects who were not exposed to vanadium. It was found that the expression of p53 and TNFa was statistically significantly reduced (p<0.001) (on average by 6 times) in relation to the values obtained in those working outside of contact with vanadium.

Conclusions. It was found that immune dysregulation is associated with an increased content of vanadium in the blood of workers exposed to industrial factors. Employees of the ferrous metallurgy enterprise under conditions of excessive vanadium contamination have an imbalance of membrane (CD4⁺CD25⁺, CD3⁺CD95⁺), intracellular (p53) and intercellular (TNFa) immunoregulation indicators. In the process of adaptation of the body to the effects of harmful factors of the industrial environment, an important role belongs to immunoregulatory mechanisms, the study and evaluation of which can be used for early identification of immune system dysfunction in order to form the prevention of negative health effects caused or mediated by chemical factors.

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