Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (tbhq) and early immune cell activation in human cells
What it found
In lab tests on human immune cells, tertiary-butylhydroquinone (tbhq) reduced several early signs of T cell activation.
The effect was stronger in isolated CD4 T cells than in mixed blood cells.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Immune signal proteins dropped
In lab tests, tbhq lowered the amounts of two key immune signals, IL-2 and IFN-γ, made by human blood cells. This drop happened at both the protein and gene message levels.
Surface markers decreased
After stimulation, human CD4 T cells normally show more CD25 and CD69 on their surface. Treatment with tbhq reduced the appearance of both markers in lab tests.
Isolated cells more affected
Pure CD4 T cells reacted more strongly to tbhq than mixed blood cells did. The authors suggest other cell types in mixed blood might partly shield the T cells.
Gene activity blocked
In lab tests, tbhq reduced the ability of NFκB to bind DNA in human blood cells. NFκB is a protein complex that helps turn on immune genes.
Other findings
Intake estimates vary widely
The U.S. limit for tbhq in food is 200 mg/kg. Estimates of daily intake range from well below the acceptable limit of 0.7 mg/kg/day to as high as 6.9 mg/kg/day in some countries. Healthy volunteers who took 100 to 150 mg had blood levels in the high micromolar range.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that tbhq impairs early activation events in primary human CD4 T cells in lab tests.
- They note this impairment lines up with increased Nrf2 activity and reduced NFκB DNA binding.
- The authors say more research is needed to find out if tbhq affects actual immune defense in people.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see how tbhq affects early steps of immune cell activation in human cells. Previous work showed it changed immune responses in mice and in a lab cell line, but its role in primary human T cells was unclear.
They bought whole human blood and separated out immune cells, including CD4 T cells. They treated these cells with tbhq at doses from 0.1 to 5 µM and then stimulated them to activate. They measured the production of immune signals and surface markers after activation.
What it can’t tell you
- These are lab tests on cells taken from blood, not studies in living people eating tbhq.
- Cell studies cannot show what happens to the immune system when someone eats foods containing this preservative.
- Scientists do not yet know if these changes in a dish affect how the body fights infections.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NIEHS NIH HHS; NIGMS NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Michigan State University, USA
The paper
- Title
- The Nrf2 activator tBHQ inhibits T cell activation of primary human CD4 T cells
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Turley AE, Zagorski JW, Rockwell CE (2015). The Nrf2 activator tBHQ inhibits T cell activation of primary human CD4 T cells. Cytokine. doi:10.1016/j.cyto.2014.11.006Free full textPubMed 25484350DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error