Characterization of thymic involution induced by organotin compounds

Abstract

Seafood contaminants, tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT), are known to have immunotoxicity with thymic atrophy, but their mode of action remains unclear. We here examined the effects of TBT and TPT on thymic morphology and T cell differentiation in mice at a dose without nonspecific toxicity. TPT induced thymic atrophy with adipogenesis via PPARγ activation and reduced peripheral naive T cells. In contrast, TBT induced thymic atrophy without adipogenesis and PPARγ activation. Both act as PPARγ agonists, but our results suggest that their mechanisms of thymic atrophy are much different.