Humoral immunotoxicity of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers, phenoxyphenols, dioxins and furans present as contaminants of technical grade pentachlorophenol.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the humoral immune response in mice as measured by the splenic IgM response to sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) is highly sensitive to suppression by technical grade (86%) pentachlorophenol (T-PCP) whereas analytical grade (greater than 99%) PCP is not immunosuppressive. In the present studies, we have examined several contaminant fractions and purified isomers from T-PCP for their humoral immunosuppressive effect. C57BL/6 mice were treated with a single oral dose of the various contaminants 2 days prior to SRBC challenge and the peak splenic IgM antibody response was measured 5 days later. Under these exposure conditions, T-PCP produced a dose-related suppression of the antibody response whereas analytical grade PCP was without effect. The dose of T-PCP producing 50% immunosuppression relative to the vehicle-treated control (ID50) was 83 mg/kg. Results from studies using contaminant fractions extracted from T-PCP indicated that a chlorinated dioxin/furan fraction was significantly immunosuppressive, whereas a chlorinated phenoxyphenol fraction and a chlorinated diphenyl ether fraction were without effect when administered at dose levels expected to occur in the ID50 dose of T-PCP. Several purified phenoxyphenol isomers representing the major pre- and isopredioxins in T-PCP were also not immunosuppressive, nor was octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. The 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-hexachlorodioxin (HxCDD), 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodioxin (HpCDD), and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorofuran (HpCDF) isomers were all significantly immunosuppressive. The single, oral ID50s were 7.1, 85 and 208 micrograms/kg for HxCDD, HpCDD and HpCDF, respectively. Coadministration of HxCDD and HpCDD produced an additive immunosuppressive effect suggesting that the toxic dioxin and furan isomers present in T-PCP function in concert to produce the degree of immune suppression observed following T-PCP exposure. When analytical grade PCP was coadministered with HpCDD, the degree of immune suppression was equivalent to that produced by HpCDD alone, indicating no significant influence of PCP on dioxin-induced immunosuppression. The enhanced susceptibility of Ah-responsive C57BL/6 mice to T-PCP induced immune suppression as compared to Ah-nonresponsive DBA/2 mice and the correlation of immune suppression with P1-450 associated monoxygenase induction provided further evidence for the role of the toxic Ah-interactive dioxin and furan contaminants in T-PCP as the mediators of T-PCP immunotoxicity.