Enhanced antibody production in W/Wv mice exposed to ozone.

To investigate the modulation of defense mechanisms by ozone (O3) exposure, mast-cell-deficient WBB6F1-W/WV and normal WBB6F1(-)+/+ mice were continuously exposed to 0.8 ppm O3 for 7 days. Although no differences in weights of lung, thymus and spleen were shown between exposed and control W/WV mice, antibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in exposed W/WV mice was markedly enhanced compared to control W/WV mice. In normal +/+ mice O3 exposure induced an increase in lung weight but did not enhance antibody production. These studies suggest that the susceptibility of W/WV mice to O3 may be different from that of +/+ mice.