Evaluation of oxidative stress, antioxidant enzyme activities, and genetic damage in sprayers exposed to pesticides

Abstract

The potential immunotoxic effect of the carbamate pesticide aminocarb on murine bone marrow cell subpopulations was evaluated by flow cytometry, C57B16 mice were exposed by gavage to sublethal doses of the pesticide and lymphocyte precursors from bone marrow population were stained with PNA lectin and a panel of monoclonal antibodies against cell surface antigens. In regard to the microenvironment-dependent maturation of B lymphocytes, the pesticide effect on the lymphoproliferative potential of bone marrow was assessed by marrow transplantation from aminocarb-exposed donor mice to normal, syngeneic, X-irradiated recipient mice. The sublethal exposure of 0.08–5.0 mg/kg body wt aminocarb to donor animals did not affect regenerating bone marrow in the recipient mice. No marked effect on bone marrow cell number was noted in pesticide-exposed animals. However, a marked shift in surface IgM density on marrow B cells was noted at 0.08 and 0.31 mg/kg body wt aminocarb. This was correlated with decreased cell frequency in G0G1 phase and increased frequency of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle. Thus, altered maturation of B lymphocytes, expressed as a shift in the density of surface IgM on mature B cells and not the lymphocyte count, was related to the direct effect of aminocarb and/or to the pesticide-related changes in bone marrow microenvironment. Overall, exposure to the carbamate pesticide aminocarb activated the cell maturation process in bone marrow.