Autoimmunity hexachlorobenzene

Few epidemiologic studies of pesticide use in general, or specific pesticides, in relation to any autoimmune disease. Mechanistic research primarily for hexachlorobenzene and malathion. Mechanisms other than endocrine-disruption should be considered, even for pesticides with endocrine-disrupting properties. 

Of all rat strains, the Brown Norway (BN) rat is used most frequently in relation to chemical-induced autoimmunity. This strain displays clinically manifested autoimmune disease following exposure to a number of chemicals. HgCl2 is the most scrutinized compound in the BN rat but D-penicillamine [6-8], gold-salts [9,10],hexachlorobenzene (HCB) [11-14] and recently, nevirapine [15], have all been shown to induce clinical effects. Captopril [7] and felbamate [16] appeared not to induce autoimmune effects in BN rats. 

Pesticides are widely used worldwide in agriculture, public health, and several indoor conditions. Current evidence related to pesticide autoimmunogenic potential is summarized in Table 8. Hexachlorobenzene is the most intensively studied pesticide in the context of autoimmunity, and it will therefore be addressed separately at the end of this section. 

There is some evidence, either in animal models or following human exposure, that several pesticides used currently or in the recent past can cause slight changes that could be interpreted as autoimmune-like effects . However, data supporting this hypothesis are scarce. In some cases, the mere inclusion of observed changes as indicative of autoimmunity is even questionable, whereas in other cases, results of one study have not been confirmed by a subsequent study. Only few compounds that are no longer in use today (i.e. mercury derivatives, hexachlorobenzene) have been... 

In conclusion, although hexachlorobenzene induces an auto-immune-like disorder in humans and rats, neoantigen formation and direct elicitation of autoreactive T cells are probably not involved. Rather, hexachlorobenzene, by activation of inflammatory cells such as macrophages, exacerbates autoimmunity above a level at which autoimmune phenomena and systemic inflammatory responses become apparent. This cascade of reactions is depicted in Figure 2 and illustrates the complexity of the etiology of immune derangements induced by hexachlorobenzene. 

Hexachlorobenzene Systemic inflammatory response with autoimmune symptoms... 

Schielen P, Schoo W, Tekstra J, Oostermeijer HH, Seinen W, Bloksma N (1993) Autoimmune effects of hexachlorobenzene in the rat. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 122 233-243. 

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