The effect of ozone and photochemical oxidants on the interferon production by tonsillar lymphocytes.

In order to elucidate the biological effects of photochemical smog on the tonsil, lymphocytes from human tonsil were exposed to ozone and rabbits were exposed to ozone or photochemical oxidants. The tonsillar lymphocytes were studied for interferon production by Newcastle disease virus and blastoid transformation by PHA. Both interferon production by and blastoid transformation of the human tonsillar lymphocytes decreased markedly on exposure to ozone. Tonsillar lymphocytes from rabbits exposed to photochemical oxidants showed a significant decrease in interferon production. The decrease in interferon production in tonsillar lymphocytes from the rabbit exposed to photochemical oxidants was greater in magnitude than the decrease in interferon production in tonsillar lymphocytes exposed to ozone or non-irradiated automobile exhaust gas. The difference in blastoid transformation between the exposed groups and controls was not significnat. The results suggest that exposure to photochemical oxidants causes some functional changes in tonsillar lymphocytes.