Halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon-induced suppression of the plaque-forming cell response in B6C3F1 splenocytes cultured with allogenic mouse serum: Ah receptor structure activity relationships

Effects of an environmentally relevant PCB-mixture on immune function, clinical chemistry, and thyroid hormone levels in adult female B6C3F1 mice

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been assessed for immunotoxicity; however, humans and wildlife are exposed to multiple PCBs environmentally. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effects of a complex 37 PCB congener mixture identified in blubber specific to dolphins residing in the estuarine waters of Charleston, South Carolina. Immunotoxicity was determined in adult female B₆C₃F₁ mice by assessing lymphocyte proliferation, splenic and thymic immunophenotypes, and IgM production. Mice were exposed via oral gavage to the PCB-mixture (0, 1.8, 3.6, 7.1, or 14.3 mg/kg/day) for 28 days to yield a targeted total administered dose (TAD) 0, 50, 100, 200, or 400 mg/kg. Significant increased liver weight occurred at the highest treatment. IgM production was suppressed compared to control for all treatments. Numbers of thymic CD4+/CD8+, CD4-/CD8-, and CD4+/CD8- cells were not altered, but numbers of thymic CD4-/CD8+ cells were significantly increased in the highest treatment. Lymphocyte proliferation was not markedly affected by any treatment. The numbers of splenic CD4/CD8 T-cells or MHCII+ cells were not significantly changed. Humoral immunity using the plaque-forming cell assay for determining the specific IgM antibody-forming cell response appeared to be the most sensitive endpoint affected. As the lowest concentration tested resulted in decreased IgM production and total and free thyroxine (T₄) serum levels a NOAEL was not identified. The calculated ED₅₀ for suppression of IgM production was 2.4 mg/kg/day.

The role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolism in dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced pre-B lymphocyte apoptosis

Previous studies indicated that two prototypic PAH, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), suppress the developing immune system by inducing apoptosis in bone marrow pre-B lymphocytes. In bone marrow cultures consisting of pre-B cells growing on bone marrow stromal cell monolayers, pre-B cell apoptosis was shown to be dependent on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor/transcription factor (AhR) expressed in stromal cells. However, it was not determined if AhR activation alone is sufficient or if DMBA metabolism is required for induction of a stromal cell-derived apoptosis signal. To address these issues we assessed: 1) the ability of poorly metabolized AhR ligands to induce pre-B cell apoptosis and 2) the capacity for and the mechanism through which an early DMBA metabolite induces pre-B cell apoptosis. Three poorly metabolized AhR ligands, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl, and 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl failed to induce pre-B cell apoptosis in bone marrow cultures, indicating that AhR activation alone is not sufficient to induce apoptosis and suggesting a role for PAH metabolism in induction of an apoptosis signal. Consistent with this hypothesis, DMBA-3, 4-dihydrodiol, an early DMBA metabolite, induced significant pre-B cell apoptosis. The ability of DMBA-3,4-dihydrodiol to activate the AhR, inhibition of DMBA-3,4-dihydrodiol-induced apoptosis by alpha-naphthoflavone, and the significantly lower levels of DMBA-3, 4-dihydrodiol-induced apoposis in pre-B cell populations maintained on AhR(-) stromal cells strongly support a role for the AhR in DMBA-3,4-dihydrodiol-induced apoptosis. Of two DMBA-metabolizing enzymes evaluated, CYP1A1 and CYP1B1, the latter appeared to be the more likely to play a role in DMBA-induced apoptosis. These data confirm a role for the AhR in PAH-induced pre-B cell apoptosis, indicate a role for DMBA metabolism, and suggest a feedback loop in which at least one product of DMBA metabolism augments AhR signaling, leading to induction of an apoptosis stimulus.

Induction of PreB cell apoptosis by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in long-term primary murine bone marrow cultures

Numerous studies demonstrate that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) suppress immunity by modifying the function of both B and T cells. Relatively few studies have assessed the effects of these common environmental chemicals on immature lymphocytes. In the present study, long-term primary bone marrow cultures were employed to investigate the effects of a prototypic PAH and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), on immature B lymphocytes. In this system, immature preB cells are maintained in a supportive microenvironment provided by bone marrow stromal cells. Results presented here demonstrate that (1) exposure of primary bone marrow cultures to DMBA results in preB cell death by apoptosis; (2) notably low doses of DMBA (> or = 10(-8) M) induce preB cell apoptosis; (3) in long-term cultures, bone marrow stromal cells, but not preB cells, express AhR mRNA and protein as determined by in situ hybridization, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting; (4) freshly isolated unfractionated bone marrow cells, but not purified bone marrow B cells, express AhR protein as assessed by immunohistochemistry; (5) alpha-naphthoflavone, a competitive AhR inhibitor and cytochrome P450 antagonist, completely blocks DMBA-induced preB cell apoptosis in primary bone marrow cultures; and (6) DMBA or benzo[a]pyrene injection in vivo results in bone marrow cell apoptosis consistent with the death of hematopoietic cells clustered around stromal elements. The results implicate programmed cell death as a mechanism underlying DMBA-mediated immunosuppression and suggest that preB cell death is influenced by local interactions with AhR+ bone marrow stromal cells.