Effects of toxicants on T-cell subpopulations as determined by lymphokine activity

Selective depletion of T1 and T2 lymphocyte subpopulations of mouse spleens was accomplished by injecting mice subcutaneously with 5 mg cortisone acetate (CA) or 0.1 ml antithymocyte serum (ATS), respectively. Selectively depleted and control spleen cells were cultured in vitro and were tested for their ability to produce the lymphokine immune interferon (IIF) in response to the following mitogens: staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), concanavalin A (ConA), and phytohaemagglutinin-P (PHA). The data indicate that SEA and PHA induce IIF from T1 and T2 cells respectively; ConA induces IIF from both T1 and T2 cells. Mice were also injected subcutaneously with 10 mg gallic acid (GA) and the pattern of mitogen-induction of IIF from GA-treated spleen cells was compared with that of CA- and ATS-treated spleen cells. GA pretreatment of mice, like CA pretreatment, resulted in a significant decrease in SEA-induced IIF; GA probably exerts its effect on T1 suppressor cells.