Allergy and immunotoxicology in preventive and clinical medicine from theory to practice: Environmental factors in bronchial asthma

• Published in: SANGYO EISEIGAKU ZASSHI Vol. 67; no. 1; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Tsunoda, Masashi, Ueda, Atsushi, The committee members for Allergy and Immunotoxicology (AIT), Japan Society for Occupational Health (JSOH), Satoh, Kazuhiro, Kayama, Fujio, Yoshida, Takahiko, Hisada, Takeshi, Wada, Hiroo, Shibata, Eiji, Nishimura, Yasumitsu, Morimoto, Yasuo, Takeshita, Tatsuya, Itoh, Toshihiro, Dobashi, Kunio, Suganuma, Narifumi, Yanagisawa, Hiroyuki, Li, Qing, Satoh, Minoru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Japan Society for Occupational Health 25.01.2025
• Subjects: Air Pollution - adverse effects; Asthma - etiology; Asthma - immunology; Asthma - prevention & control; Asthma - therapy; Cytokines - metabolism; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental Pollutants - adverse effects; Exposome; Gene-Environment Interaction; Humans; Hypersensitivity - etiology; Hypersensitivity - immunology; Hypersensitivity - prevention & control
• ISSN: 1341-0725; 1349-533X; 1349-533X
• DOI: 10.1539/sangyoeisei.2024-009-A

Background: According to the gene-environment interactions concept, the mechanism of health impairment can be explained by genetic factors, environmental factors, or their interaction. Physical and mental health effects resulting from environmental exposure may be classified either as toxicity, immune response, and allergic reaction. Moreover, despite the already established therapeutic approaches to bronchial asthma and decreasing mortality due to bronchial asthma, patients with difficult and severe asthma are increasing in number. This review outlines recent topics in the field of allergies, focusing on asthma. Results and Discussion: Living environment-derived pollutants and their involvement in the pathogenesis of asthma and its exacerbation, referred to here as an exposome concept, comprises the three domains of internal, specific external, and general external. Living environment-derived pollutants include exposure to pollutants in workplaces, climate change, air pollution, microplastics, tobacco smoke, biodiversity change and loss, changing dietary habits, and the microbiome. These are associated with the modernization, urbanization, and globalization of human society. Although many novel compounds are currently available, their harmful health effects, such as allergy, are not thoroughly understood. Hence, the means to mitigate these are unknown. Dietary changes from a traditional diet rich in fish to a Western-style diet are considered critical environmental factors and therefore, associated with an increased prevalence of allergies. Cytokines, including thymic stromal lymphopoietin, IL-25, and IL-33, released from the airway epithelium in response to various triggers (exposure to diverse environmental factors) are known as alarmins. Anti-alarmin antibodies are a promising therapeutic approach against severe and difficult allergic disorders. Collaboration between hospitals and clinics and occupational and clinical medicine is imperative for treating and managing severe asthma. In addition to avoiding environmental exposure, understanding the pathogenesis and exacerbation of asthma is essential for future research in the field of allergy and immunotoxicology.