Inhibition of bactericidal activity by pentachlorophenol in two phagocyte populations from Fundulus heteroclitus

The effects of pentachlorophenol (PCP) on the bactericidal activity of pronephritic phagocytes were studied in an estuarine fish, Fundulus heteroclitus. Following in vitro exposure to sublethal doses of PCP, macrophages and eosinophils were challenged with Listonella anguillarum, the bacterium responsible for vibriosis in marine and freshwater fish. Quantification of surviving bacteria was based on the reduction of MTT (3-[4,5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide). Bacteridical activity was inhibited at PCP concentrations greater than 5 ppm in both leukocyte populations; at 20 ppm bactericidal activity was essentially eliminated. The primary cellular mechanisms of bactericidal activity in these cells are phagocytosis and the phagocytically induced production of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) including superoxide (O{sub 2}{sup {minus}}) and hydrogen peroxide (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}). Previous experiments have shown that these activities are inhibited at similar concentrations of PCP. These results indicate that the suppression of phagocytosis and the subsequent oxidative burst is responsible for the reduced killing seen in the current experiments. Nonspecific immune activities of phagocytic cells such as macrophages and eosinophils act as a first line of defense against invading pathogens; the suppression of these functions could ultimately lead to decreased resistance to infectious disease.