Ozone toxicity in the mouse: Comparison and modeling of responses in susceptible and resistant strains

Previous studies from this laboratory have demonstrated a concentration-related hypothermia and increases in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid indexes of toxicity in the rat after exposure to environmentally relevant levels of ozone (O-3) In similar studies with C5liBL/6J (B6) and C3H/HeJ (C3) mice, other investigators have reported differential effects on BAL toxicity indexes between the two strains after O-3 exposure. The present study investigated the relationship between the reported strain differences in BAL parameters in B6 and C3 mice exposed to O-3 and the induced hypothermic response. Male 80-day-old mice (n = 94, 47/strain) were used for these studies. Subsets (n = 8/strain) of these animals were surgically implanted with radiotelemetry transmitters that permitted continuous monitoring of core body temperature and activity. All telemetry animals and an equal number of nontelemetry animals (n = 8/strain) were exposed to filtered air for 24 h followed by a 2-h exposure to 2 parts/million O-16(3). With use of a similar protocol, groups of nontelemetry mice (n = 12/strain) were exposed to either filtered air or 2 parts/million O-18(3) for 2 h. At 0 or 22 h postexposure, mice were anesthetized with halothane and intubated, and their lungs were lavaged with 37 degrees C saline. Although both strains of mice exhibited significant abrupt decreases in core body temperature on exposure to O-3 and both recovered rapidly after cessation of the O-3 exposure, the response of the C3 mice was more dynamic than that of the B6 mice. Similarly, both strains showed characteristic changes in biomarkers of O-3 toxicity; however, the increases in BAL fluid protein and cells at 22 h postexposure were significantly greater and the percentage of neutrophils was significantly less in B6 mice than in C3 mice. It is possible that the strain differences in BAL constituents may be related to the differences in the hypothermic response.