Enhanced Suppressor Cell Activity as a Mechanism of Immunosuppression by 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin 1

TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin), a toxic halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon, acts in the body as a cumulative poison. The chronic immunotoxic effects of TCDD were studied in C57B1/6 male mice. Total doses of 100 μg/kg or greater produced cellular depletion in thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes, and the animals appeared sick. No cellular depletion was seen following 0.4 μg/kg, and only thymus was affected by 4 and 40 μg/kg. The antibody …