Enhanced alveolar monocytic phagocyte (macrophage) proliferation in tobacco and marijuana smokers

Journal Article · Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · American Review of Respiratory Disease (New York); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm/143.5_Pt_1.1092· OSTI ID:5734299

Barbers, R G; Evans, M J; Gong, H Jr; Tashkin, D P ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine (USA)

We tested the hypothesis that enhanced cell division accounted for the augmented numbers of monocytic phagocytes with characteristics attributed to alveolar macrophages (AM) found in the lungs of habitual tobacco (T) and marijuana (M) smokers. The monocytic phagocytes, that is, alveolar macrophages, were obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from 12 nonsmoking subjects; 10 subjects who smoked T only (TS); 13 subjects who smoked M only (MS); and 6 smokers of both T and M (MTS). The replication of these cells was determined by measuring the incorporation of ({sup 3}H)thymidine into the DNA of dividing cells and visually counting 2,000 cells on autoradiographically prepared cytocentrifuge cell preparations. This study demonstrated that the number of ({sup 3}H)thymidine-labeled monocytic phagocytes with characteristics of alveolar macrophages from either TS or MS have a higher proliferative index compared to cells (macrophages) from nonsmokers, p less than 0.05 by one-way ANOVA. The total number of BAL macrophages that are in mitosis in TS (17.90 +/- 4.50 labeled AM x 10(3)/ml) or MTS (10.50 +/- 4.20 labeled AM x 10(3)/ml) are 18- and 10-fold greater, respectively, than the number obtained from nonsmokers (1.01 +/- 0.18 labeled AM x 10(3)/ml). Interestingly, the number of ({sup 3}H)thymidine-labeled macrophages from MS (2.90 +/- 0.66 labeled AM x 10(3)/ml) are also greater than the number obtained from nonsmokers, although this is not statistically significant. The stimulus augmenting alveolar macrophage replication is as yet unknown but may likely be found in the T or M smoke.

• OSTI ID: 5734299
• Journal Information: American Review of Respiratory Disease (New York); (USA), Vol. 143:5 Pt 1; ISSN 0003-0805
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
MACROPHAGES
CELL PROLIFERATION
MARIHUANA
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
TOBACCO SMOKES
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
DNA
LAVAGE
MITOSIS
PHAGOCYTOSIS
THYMIDINE
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
AEROSOLS
ANIMAL CELLS
AZINES
CELL DIVISION
COLLOIDS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DISPERSIONS
HERBS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MAGNOLIOPSIDA
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUCLEOSIDES
NUCLEOTIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PHAGOCYTES
PLANTS
PYRIMIDINES
RESIDUES
RIBOSIDES
SMOKES
SOLS
SOMATIC CELLS
550901* - Pathology- Tracer Techniques