title: Quantitation of ozone-induced lung lesion density after treatment with an interferon inducer or an anti-interferon antibody.
abstract: Inhalation of ozone by experimental animals produces activation of lymphocytes in the mediastinal lymph node complex. Both the number and functional reactivity are affected, with evidence of blastic transformation in T cell but not B cell areas of the nodes. In the present work we determine the extent that modulation of a possible product of immune system activation, interferon, is capable of influencing the way that experimental animals respond to zone. Outbred CD-1 mice were treated with an interferon inducer, poly I:C, or with an anti-interferon antibody while being exposed to ozone at a concentration of 0.7 or 0.9 ppm for 20 h per day for 4 days. Interferon induction produced a significant reduction in lesion volumes in both exposure groups, while anti-interferon produced the opposite effect. Less alveolar damage was observed in interferon-induced, ozone-exposed animals than in animals exposed to ozone alone. In contrast, anti-interferon-treated, ozone-exposed animals showed larger lesions which extended to more peripheral structures and were more extensively infiltrated with neutrophilic leukocytes. These results show that interferon induction protects against zone-mediated lung damage. They also suggest that cells are activated during ozone inhalation which mitigate the effects of ozone on the lung by secretion of interferon.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D005260:Female; D007372:Interferons / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010126:Ozone / Q000633:toxicity*; D011070:Poly I-C / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D010126:Ozone; D007372:Interferons; D011070:Poly I-C