The effect of perinatal exposure to tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on the immune response of young mice.
The immunocompetence of 5 week old offspring from mice fed control chow or chow containing 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) was evaluated. The 5 ppb maternal feeding level was the only level that produced symptoms of intoxication in the offspring (i.e., facial alopecia and periorbital edema). Mice from mothers fed either 2.5 or 5 ppb of TCDD demonstrated thymus cortex atrophy and a significantly reduced spleen anti-SRBC plaque forming cell (PFC) response, but had normal serum anti-SRBC antibody levels following primary and secondary immunization. Contact sensitivity response to DNFB was significantly reduced only in offspring from mothers fed 5 ppb of TCDD. The blastogenic response of splenic T- and B-lymphocytes to concanavalin-A and E. coli lipopolysaccharide was unaffected by perinatal TCDD exposure. This correlated with the normal appearance of the T- and B-cell dependent areas of the spleens from these animals. There was no significant difference in the differential white blood cell counts between control and TCDD-exposed offspring. Offspring from mothers fed up to 5 ppb of TCDD withstood a live Listeria challenge as well as controls. However, maternal feeding levels as low as 1 ppb of TCDD rendered offspring more sensitive to an endotoxin challenge.
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004139:Dinitrofluorobenzene; D004147:Dioxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects*; D007114:Immunization; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D051379:Mice; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology; D012882:Skin Tests
D004147:Dioxins; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D004139:Dinitrofluorobenzene