The capacities of earthworms to heal wounds and to destroy allografts are modified by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB).
Earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) were maintained at 15 degrees C and exposed on filter paper to 10 micrograms/cm2 of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) Aroclor 1254 for 5 days prior to surgical treatments which consisted of wounds, autografts, and allografts. At 1 day after surgery, we observed a higher percentage of healing defects and a significantly greater number of early signs of allograft rejection in exposed worms. Observations for 25 days post-transplantation revealed no response to autografts, but an acceleration of the allograft rejection process in exposed earthworms. We postulate that Aroclor modified host coelomocytes and/or their interactions associated with antigen recognition and inflammation.
Cooper
E L
EL
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles 90024.
Roch
P
P
D000818:Animals; D001140:Aroclors / Q000633:toxicity*; D020111:Chlorodiphenyl (54% Chlorine); D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000187:drug effects; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
D001140:Aroclors; D020111:Chlorodiphenyl (54% Chlorine)