Immunological Disturbance and Heavy Metals

Abstract

Immune function is susceptible to nutritional and environmental status of heavy metals. The common immunological manifestations and related health effects are described resulting from deficiencies of essential heavy metals and excess exposure to essential or toxic heavy metals. T cell dysfunction in zinc deficiency exemplifies immunosuppression in deficiencies of essential metals. It may be due to impairment of zinc-dependent metabolism in immune cells and/or decreased activity of thymulin, a zinc-dependent thymic hormone. The exposure to cadmium as well as mercury can stimulate immune cells to induce autoantibody formation, which requires the presence of T cells and seems to be associated with development of glomerulonephritis. Thus T cells may interact more selectively with zinc, cadmium and presumably other heavy metals. Immunological disturbance associated with heavy metals can be a model for studying potential risks of chronic diseases originated from nutritional and environmental status.