Effects of microwave exposure on the hamster immune system. I. Natural killer cell activity

✍ Scribed by H. K. Yang; C. A. Cain; J. Lockwood; Dr. W. A. F. Tompkins

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1006 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0197-8462
• DOI: 10.1002/bem.2250040204

✦ Synopsis

Hamsters were exposed to repeated or single doses of microwave energy and monitored for changes in core body temperature. circulating leukocyte profiles. serum corticosteroid levels. and natural killer (NKI cell activity in various tissues. NK cytotoxicity was measured in a "Crrelease assay employing baby hamster kidney (BHK) targets or BHK infected mpith herpes simplex virus. Repeated exposure of hamsters at 15 mWicm' for 60 miniday had no significant effect on natural levels of spleen-cell NK activity against BHK targets. Similarly. repeated exposure at 15 mW:crn' over a 5-daq' period had no demonstrable effect on the induction of spleen NK activity by vaccinia virus immunization. that is. comparable levels of NK were induced in untreatcd and microwave-treated animals. In contrast, treatment of hamsters with a single 60 min microwave exposure at 25 mW:cm' caused a significant suppression in induced spleen NK activity. A similar but less marked decrease in spleen NK activity was obcerved in sham-exposed animals. Moreover. the sham effects on NK activity were not predictable and appeared to represent large individual animal variations in the response to stress factors. Depressed spleen NK activity was evident as early as 4 h postmicrowave treatment and returned to normal levels by 8 h. Hamsters expoced at 25 mW:cm' rhowcd an elcvatcd tcmpcraturc of 3.0-3.5 "C that returned to normal within 60 min aftei-termination of microwave exposure. These animals also showed a marked lyrnphopenia and neutrophilia by 1 h posttreatment that returned to normal by 8-10 h. Serum glucocorticoctcroids were elevated between I and 8 h after microwave treatment. Shamexposed animal5 did not demonstrate significant changes in core body temperature. peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) prdile. or glucocorticosteroid levels as compared to minimum-handling controls.