© 1988 Oxford University Press
research-article |
Evaluation of the Immunotoxicity of 
-Hexachlorocyclohexane (-HCH)
Departments of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology and Genetic Toxicology, Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology P.O. Box 12137, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709. *National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Hygiene Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
Received November 3, 1987; accepted March 11, 1988
Evaluation of the Immunotoxicity of
-Hexachlorocyclohexane -HCH). CORNACOFF, J. B., LAUER, L. D., HOUSE, R. V., TUCKER, A. N., THURMOND, L. M., VOS, J. G., WORKING, P. K., AND DEAN, J. H. Fundam Appl. Toxicol. 11,293–299.0-HCH, an isomeric contaminant formed during the manufacture of the insecticide lindane, is a persistent environmental and food chain pollutant which has been reported to exhibit estrogenic activity in rodents and in fish. To investigate potential toxic effects on the reproductive and immune systems, -HCH was fed to female B6C3F1 mice for 30 days. Mice exposed to 0, 100, or 300 mgo-HCH/kgofdiet were evaluated for changes in ovarian and uterine histology, body weight, lymphoid organ weight and histology, splenic cellularity, antigen-specific IgM and IgG plaque-forming cells (PFQ, proliferative responses to mitogens, natural killer (NK) cell activity, and induction of cytolytic T lymphocytes. The ovaries and endometrial epithelium exhibited normal architecture. No alterations were observed in body weight, lymphoid organ weight and histology, or splenic cellularity whereas significant changes were found in several immune functions at the 300 mg/kg dose. Proliferation of splenocytes to the mitogens LPS, PHA, and Con A was decreased by 39,43, and 57%, respectively. T-lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis of tumor targets was decreased by 25% with a concurrent reduction of 45% in NK activity. There was no significant reduction in the number of IgM or IgG PFC in exposed animals. These data indicate that -HCH causes nonestrogenic immune function changes in the adult mouse without gross changes in lymphoid organ weight, histology, or cellularity.