Smoking Affects Stem Cells

For the first time ever, a team from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research was able to demonstrate that smoking influences the development of allergy-relevant stem cells. Stem cells are not specialised, can multiply without limits and can develop into the various types of cells and tissue comprising an organism. Various progenitor cells mark the steps between stem cells and fully developed cells, some types of which promote allergies.

A study involving 60 children now has revealed that children with skin diseases feature increased amounts of such progenitor cells and that children already affected by dermatosis react particularly sensitively to their environment.

Children from families living with high pollution rates of volatile organic compounds, such as those emitted by smoking, displayed significantly higher rates of allergy-relevant progenitor cells in their blood. It can be deducted that environmental and life-style factors are decisive in determining whether or not a genetic predisposition towards disease will manifest itself.

Further Information:

To the press release of the UFZ

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