Effect of cigarette smoke and 2-mercaptoethanol administration on age-related alterations and immunological parameters.

In old CBA/Ca mice the effect of cigarette smoke was compared with that of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) treatment. It could be stated that spontaneous death was more frequent in animals kept in cigarette smoke than in the control animals. Prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma was higher in animals kept in cigarette smoke than in the controls. After 2-ME treatment the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma was significantly lower and animals without disorders were more frequent than in smokers. Body weights were lower in animals kept in cigarette smoke and differences in organ indices could be observed, too. Immunological changes were also demonstrated: in mice kept in cigarette smoke the reactivity against a foreign antigen such as sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) was lower, while after 2-ME treatment it was higher than in their controls using direct plaque formation technique. The ratio of normal reactivity (against SRBC) and autoreactivity (against mouse erythrocytes) showed a decrease in smoker animals, and an increase in the 2-ME-treated ones. The experiments showed a deleterious effect of cigarette smoke and a beneficial effect of 2-ME on age-related alterations.