Evaluation of the immunotoxicity of low-level PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) exposure in the rat

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:7059382

Smialowicz, R J; Andrews, J E; Riddle, M M; Rogers, R R; Luebke, R W

Weanling male Fischer 344 rats were exposed daily by gastric intubation for up to 15 weeks to the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) Aroclor 1254 at 0.1, 1, 10, or 25 mg/kg body weight. At 5, 10 and 15 weeks groups of rats were killed and immune functions were evaluated. The immune parameters examined included the following: body and lymphoid organ weights, mitogen stimulated lymphoproliferative (LP) responses, natural killer (NK) cell activity, mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response. After 10 and 15 weeks of dosing body weights were reduced in rats receiving 25 mg/kg PCB while thymus weights were decreased in rats receiving 10 and 25 mg/kg. NK cell activity was reduced in rats dosed for 15 weeks at 10 and 25 mg/kg. The LP response to phytohemagglutinin was enhanced in rats dosed for 15 weeks at 25 mg/kg PCB. Exposure of rats to PCB did not affect the MLR or CTL responses. Other groups of rats were exposed to cyclophosphamide (CY) and served as positive controls for the immune assays employed. CY induced alterations in all of the immune parameters measured, indicating that this is a sensitive battery of immune function tests which is capable of detecting immune alterations in the rat.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (USA). Health Effects Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 7059382
• Report Number(s): PB-90-143066/XAB; EPA--600/J-89/236
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AGGLUTININS
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
ANTIBODIES
AROMATICS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CARBOHYDRATES
CELL PROLIFERATION
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
HEMAGGLUTININS
IMMUNE REACTIONS
LECTINS
LEUKOCYTES
LYMPHOCYTES
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MITOGENS
MUCOPROTEINS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYTOHEMAGGLUTININ
POLYSACCHARIDES
PROTEINS
RATS
RETICULOENDOTHELIAL SYSTEM
RODENTS
SACCHARIDES
SENSITIVITY
SOMATIC CELLS
TISSUES
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES