The effect of food dye and other environmental substances on the host defense reaction in mice in relation to virus infection.

Environmental substances were examined for their effect on interferon induction and delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses in mice. Amaranth, safrole, phenacetin and nicotine suppressed the DTH response, and suppressed the serum interferon titers induced by virus infection. However, they did not affect the interferon titers which were induced by tilorone, a chemical inducer. The peak of interferon titer was 12 hours after infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Therefore, amaranth, safrole, phenacetin and nicotine were given to mice intraperitoneally 24 hours before, and 2 and 18 hours after infection with HSV-2. It was found that safrole and nicotine shortened the mean survival time of HSV-2 infected mice when they were given to mice 2 hours after virus inoculation. Amaranth and phenacetin showed similar effects. However it was not definite statistically. In biochemical and hematological tests, these four substances did not affect the functions of liver, kidney and carbohydrate metabolism in normal mice. These results suggest that substances which may often be taken into the body have the potential to affect the onset of virus infectious diseases as a result of the suppression of the host defense reaction.