title: Cadmium-induced suppression of the primary immune response and acute toxicity in mice: differential interaction of zinc.
abstract: Four groups of 6-week-old C3H mice were injected sc with either sterile saline, 2.8 mg Cd/kg body weight, 2.8 mg Zn/kg body weight, or 2.8 mg each of Cd and Zn/kg body weight. Forty-eight hours after the initial injection, all mice received a second dose of their respective treatments plus an iv injection of sheep red blood cells. On Days 2, 3, 4, and 5 postimmunization the mice were killed. Spleen cells were used in a hemolytic plaque-forming assay for the quantitation of the primary humoral response. Although the combined administration of zinc and cadmium completely prevented the fatal effects of the cadmium (0 vs 55% mortality), zinc failed to alleviate the cadmium-induced inhibition of the humoral response.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D007121:Immunocompetence / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D015032:Zinc / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D015032:Zinc