Determination of the immunotoxic potential of pesticides on functional activity of sheep leukocytes in vitro

Abstract The effect of eight pesticides with different chemical structure (atrazine, bentazone, chloridazone, dichlofluanid, endosulfan, MCPA, simazine, triallate) on sheep peripheral blood phagocytes and lymphocytes was examined under in vitro conditions by iodo-nitro-tetrazolium reductase test and leukocyte migration-inhibition assay. The pesticides, dissolved in DMSO, were tested at the concentrations of 10 −1 –10 −6 M. The significant suppression of metabolic activity of phagocytic cells was registered after exposure to dichlofluanid (10 −1 –10 −3 M), endosulfan, simazine and triallate (10 −1 M). The significant cytotoxic effect (the decrease of spontaneous migration of leukocytes) was registered for bentazone, dichlofluanid, endosulfan and MCPA (10 −1 M); chloridazone (10 −1 M–10 −2 M) and triallate (10 −1 –10 −5 M). The significant immunotoxic effect (the decrease of lymphocyte activation with PHA) was observed for atrazine (10 −1 –10 −2 M); bentazone (10 −2 –10 −4 M); dichlofluanid, endosulfan (10 −2 –10 −3 M); MCPA (10 −2 –10 −6 M) and simazine (10 −1 –10 −4 M). Three of the pesticides tested suppressed both, the metabolic activity of phagocytes and mitogenic activation of lymphocytes (dichlofluanid, endosulfan and simazine). Triallate suppressed the metabolic activity of phagocytes and showed a strong cytotoxic effect. Pesticides atrazine, bentazone and MCPA influenced the mitogenic activation of lymphocytes and chloridazone showed a significant cytotoxic effect. The different chemical structure of pesticides influenced the metabolic activity of phagocytic cells as well as mitogenic activation of lymphocytes to various intensity.