Effects of Formaldehyde on Lymphocyte Subsets and Cytokines in the Peripheral Blood of Exposed Workers

Formaldehyde (FA) is a well-known irritant, and it is suggested to increase the risk of immune diseases and cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the distribution of major lymphocyte subsets and cytokine expression profiles in the peripheral blood of FA-exposed workers. A total of 118 FA-exposed workers and 79 controls were enrolled in the study. High performance liquid chromatography, flow cytometry, and cytometric bead array were used to analyze FA in air sample and formic acid in urine, blood lymphocyte subpopulations, and serum cytokines, respectively. The FA-exposed workers were divided into low and high exposure groups according to their exposure levels. The results showed that both the low and high FA-exposed groups had a significant increase of formic acid in urine when compared to the controls. Both the low and high exposure groups had a significant increase in the percentage of B cells (CD19 + ) compared to the control group ( p <0.01). A significant increase in the percentage of the natural killer (NK) cells (CD56 + ) was observed in the low exposure group compared to the control ( p  = 0.013). Moreover, the FA-exposed workers in both exposure groups showed a significant higher level of IL-10 but lower level of IL-8 than the control ( p <0.01). Subjects in the high exposure group had a higher level of IL-4 but a lower level of IFN-γ than the control ( p <0.05). Finally, there is a significant correlation between the levels of IL-10, IL-4, and IL-8 and formic acid ( p <0.05). The findings from the present study may explain, at least in part, the association between FA exposure and immune diseases and cancer.