| Research Abstract |
The functional status of the immune system of infant mice exposed prenatally and/or postnatally to polycholrinated dibenzofurans(PCDFs) was evaluated by assessing humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. The B cell activity for primary humoral response in offsprings exposed to PCDFs was directly assessed, using thymus independent antigen, DNP-dextran. No significant differences existed between the number of plaque forming cell(PFC) produced by spleen cell from either PCDFs treated groups and that of control group. The B cell activity for secondary humoral response in offsprings exposed to PCDFs was assessed, using the co-culture of DNP-KLH primed spleen cell from offspring exposed to PCDFs and B A primed spleen cell from normal mice. The number of PFC in co-cultured cells was merely decreased in prenatally and postantally exposed group as compared with control group. However, statistical analysis showed no significant differences. Therefore, the B cell activities of offsprings were not affected by prenatal exposure and pre- and postantal exposure to PCDFs accumulated in dam's body. To monitor the T cell helper activity of offsprings from dans treated with PCDFs, B A primed spleen cell from offsprings exposed to PCDFs were co-cultured with DNP-KLH primed spleen cell from normal mice. The T cell helper activities of pre- and postantally exposed offsprings were reduced to about 50% of control. However, the T cell activities of offsprings exposed to PCDFs only in their suckling period were merely reduced to about 90% of control group. At 6 weeks of age, cell-mediated immune response were measured by the contact hypersensitivity response to PCDFs. Only in higher dose group, the of spring showed less induration than in control group at 48 hours after the challen ge. B e difference was not statistically significant.
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