Immunotoxicology of chrysotile asbestos

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5000344

White, Jr, K L

The objective of this research was to determine if chrysotile asbestos was an immunotoxic agent and to elucidate which cell type(s) were affected. Exposure of mice to drinking water containing asbestos at concentrations of 100,000 times that ingested by humans resulted in no effect on humoral immunity as measured by the enumeration of spleen IgM antibody-forming cells to sheep erythrocytes; nor was the reticuloendothelial system altered in its ability to phagocytose and clear /sup 51/Chromium-labeled sheep red blood cells. The greatest effect on cell mediated immunity, measured by the delayed type hypersensitivity response to sheep erythrocytes, was observed when asbestos administration occurred after antigen exposure. Acute retro-orbital administration produced a dose dependent suppression of humoral immunity while cell mediated immunity was only affected by the highest dose (5 mg/kg) and RES function not at all. In vitro studies, indicated asbestos, at a concentration of 10 ..mu..g/5 x 10/sup 6/ spleen cells, significantly suppressed (71%) the in vitro antibody response to sheep erythrocytes. Reconstitution studies indicated that the spleen macrophage population was the cell type affected. Both alveolar and pleural cells were shown to be capable of replacing the spleen macrophage in supporting the in vitro antibody response and asbestos produced a similar dose dependent suppression with these cell types. The immunosuppressive effect of asbestos was observed in splenic, alveolar, and pleural macrophages alike and occurred at concentrations which did not alter viability, phagocytosis, Fc receptor function or protein synthesis.

• Research Organization: Virginia Commonwealth Univ., Richmond (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5000344
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
ASBESTOS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CHROMIUM 51
CHROMIUM ISOTOPES
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DATA
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
DRINKING WATER
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ERYTHROCYTES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IMMUNITY
IMMUNOSUPPRESSION
IN VITRO
IN VIVO
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MACROPHAGES
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MICE
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHAGOCYTES
PHAGOCYTOSIS
RADIOISOTOPES
RETICULOENDOTHELIAL SYSTEM
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
TISSUES
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES
WATER