Date of Award:

5-1-1986

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Biology

Department name when degree awarded

Biology

Committee Chair(s)

Reed P. Warren

Committee

Reed P. Warren

Committee

Frederick Post

Committee

Andy Anderson

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lead on the natural killer (NK) cell, a type of lymphocyte which is considered to be a first line of defense against tumors. In this study, the effect of lead on NK cell activity and interferon-augmented NK cell activity has been investigated along with the possible mechanisms by which lead affects these activities. Four approaches were used in an attempt to determine possible mechanisms by which lead affects NK cells: viability testing of treated/untreated cells; testing the effect of lead on the NK cell activity in the presence/absence of monocytes; use of monoclonal antibody to quantitate the treated/untreated NK cells and use of scanning electron microscope to determine the nature of the effect of lead on NK cells. The activity of NK cells was measured by using chromium-release assay after incubating the cell with different concentrations of lead. Two forms of lead were used in this study--lead acetate and lead formate; and as control compounds, sodium acetate and sodium formate. Both forms of lead had a suppressive effect on the activity of both NK cell activity and interferon-augmented NK activity, and, although the mechanism(s) which cause this suppression has not been determined, lead did not have a suppressive effect on the monocyte action and it did not enter into lymphocytes.

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