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Title: Inhibition of bactericidal activity by pentachlorophenol in two phagocyte populations from Fundulus heteroclitus

Conference ·
OSTI ID:40087
;  [1]
  1. Univ. of Maryland, Solomons, MD (United States). Chesapeake Biological Lab.

The effects of pentachlorophenol (PCP) on the bactericidal activity of pronephritic phagocytes were studied in an estuarine fish, Fundulus heteroclitus. Following in vitro exposure to sublethal doses of PCP, macrophages and eosinophils were challenged with Listonella anguillarum, the bacterium responsible for vibriosis in marine and freshwater fish. Quantification of surviving bacteria was based on the reduction of MTT (3-[4,5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide). Bacteridical activity was inhibited at PCP concentrations greater than 5 ppm in both leukocyte populations; at 20 ppm bactericidal activity was essentially eliminated. The primary cellular mechanisms of bactericidal activity in these cells are phagocytosis and the phagocytically induced production of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) including superoxide (O{sub 2}{sup {minus}}) and hydrogen peroxide (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}). Previous experiments have shown that these activities are inhibited at similar concentrations of PCP. These results indicate that the suppression of phagocytosis and the subsequent oxidative burst is responsible for the reduced killing seen in the current experiments. Nonspecific immune activities of phagocytic cells such as macrophages and eosinophils act as a first line of defense against invading pathogens; the suppression of these functions could ultimately lead to decreased resistance to infectious disease.

OSTI ID:
40087
Report Number(s):
CONF-9410273-; TRN: IM9520%%282
Resource Relation:
Conference: 15. annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Denver, CO (United States), 30 Oct - 3 Nov 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15th annual meeting: Abstract book. Ecological risk: Science, policy, law, and perception; PB: 286 p.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English