Impairment of humoral immune responses in mice exposed to nitrogen dioxide and ozone mixtures
The relationship between immune defense mechanisms and environmental pollutants remains unknown because of uncertainty about the effects of combined or mixed pollutants. To investigate whether exposure to toxic gas mixtures change the effect of a single gas exposure on immune function, BALB/c mice were continuously exposed to 4.0 ppm nitrogen dioxide (NO/sub 2/), 0.8 ppm ozone (O/sub 3/), or the mixture of NO/sub 2/ plus O/sub 3/ for 3, 7, 14, and 56 days. Organ weights (lung, thymus, and spleen) and antibody responses to sheep red blood cells (SRBC), and to DNP-Ficoll were measured immediately after the exposure. Lung weights in mice exposed to O/sub 3/ or the mixture were increased significantly in all exposure periods. The weights of thymus and spleen in mice exposed for 3, 7, and 14 days to the mixture were decreased. O/sub 3/ exposure for 56 days showed significant decreases of the weights of both organs. Antibody response to SRBC in mice exposed for 3, 7, and 14 days to O/sub 3/ or the mixture was markedly suppressed, but exposure to the mixture for 56 days did not show the suppression of anti-SRBC antibody response. No differences in anti-DNP antibody response between exposed and control mice were observed, except those exposed to O/sub 3/ or the mixture for 14 days. These results suggest that mixed gas exposures variously modify the effects of a single gas exposure on antibody production in mice.
- Research Organization:
- National Institute for Environment Studies, Ibaraki (Japan)
- OSTI ID:
- 6252268
- Journal Information:
- Environ. Res.; (United States), Vol. 48:2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
TOXICITY
OZONE
AIR POLLUTION
ANTIBODIES
ANTIBODY FORMATION
ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY REACTIONS
ERYTHROCYTES
IMMUNE REACTIONS
LYMPHOCYTES
MICE
MIXTURES
SPLEEN
SYNERGISM
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DISPERSIONS
LEUKOCYTES
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
ORGANS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology