Effects of inhaled diesel exhaust on immune responses after lung immunization.

The inhalation of diesel exhaust particles and the accumulation of these particles in the lung-associated lymph nodes could alter the development of immune responses after lung immunization. To study this possibility, Fischer 344 rats and CD-1 mice were exposed to three levels of diesel exhaust (nominal concentration--7000, 3500, or 350 micrograms particles/m3). Chamber controls and exposed animals were immunized by intratracheal instillation of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) after 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of exposure. The number of anti-SRBC IgM antibody-forming cells (AFC) in the lung-associated lymph nodes and spleen was evaluated after immunization. The lung-associated lymph nodes from rats and mice exposed to the high levels of diesel exhaust were black with accumulated diesel particles, and the number of lymphoid cells was significantly elevated at each sacrifice time, while rats exposed to the medium level of diesel exhaust also had elevated numbers of cells in these tissues at 12, 18, and 24 months of exposure. The total number of AFC in the lung-associated lymph nodes was significantly elevated (p less than 0.05) in rats exposed to medium and high levels of diesel exhaust, but no significant effects were observed in exposed mice. Data expressed as AFC/10(6) lymphoid cells in rats and mice, and the level of specific IgM, IgG, or IgA antibody in rat sera were not significantly altered. We conclude that the increased cellularity, and the presence of diesel particles in the lung-associated lymph nodes, had a minimal effect on the immune and antigen filtration functions of these tissues.