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Title: Consequences of prolonged inhalation of ozone on f344/n rats: Collaborative studies. Part 3. Effects on complex carbohydrates of lung connective tissue. Research report, April 1991-January 1994

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:71179

Glycosaminoglycans are constituents of proteoglycans, which are integral components of lung connective tissue. Changes in the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans have been noted in pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. The authors studied quantitative and qualitative changes of glycosaminoglycans in the lungs of rats exposed to a range of ozone levels (0, 0.12, 0.5, or 1.0 parts per million) for 20 months. Although wide variations in total glycosaminoglycans concentrations exist among individual animals within each exposure group, regression analyses of data indicated a monotonic and statistically significant decrease of total glycosaminoglycans after ozone exposure. Among individual glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronan, chondroitin 4-sulfate, and chondroitin 6-sulfate levels decreased significantly in animals exposed to ozone when compared with control animals. Heparan sulfate concentration exhibited a significant trend toward increase with increasing doses of ozone, but the difference in heparan sulfate concentration animals exposed to ozone and control animals was not significant. Gel filtration studies of glycosaminoglycans in pooled sampled indicated that the molecular size of hyaluronan in animals exposed to ozone was lower than it was in control animals. The authors noted differences in heparan sulfate`s chemical properties and its affinity to antithrombin III between animals exposed to ozone and control animals. These observations indicate that inhalation of ozone for 20 months affects normal cellular metabolism of proteoglycans, which may contribute to the functional impairment of the lung.

Research Organization:
Health Effects Inst., Cambridge, MA (United States)
OSTI ID:
71179
Report Number(s):
PB-95-213732/XAB; HEI/RR-65/94-PT-3; TRN: 51702316
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Sep 1994
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English