Effects of cigarette smoke exposure on retention of asbestos fibers in various morphologic compartments of the guinea pig lung

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Am. J. Pathol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5664069

Churg, A; Tron, V; Wright, J L

For investigation of mechanisms whereby smoking might potentiate asbestos-related disease, guinea pigs were given 0.5 mg UICC amosite by intratracheal instillation. Half the animals were subsequently exposed to cigarette smoke. Animals were sacrificed at 1 day, 7 days, and 1 month after exposure. Lungs were lavaged and macrophages separated from the lavage fluid. Lung fiber concentration, numbers of fibers in macrophages, and fiber sizes from tissue (TFs), macrophages (MFs), and macrophage-free lavagate (FFs) were determined by electron microscopy. Smoke-exposed animals retained greater numbers of fibers in lung tissue by 1 month but had greater total numbers of fibers in macrophages at all time periods. In both smokers and nonsmokers, fibers in the three morphologic compartments had distinctly different lengths: the longest fibers were found associated with the lung tissue; the macrophages always contained the shortest fibers; and the macrophage-free lavagate had fibers of intermediate size. However, fiber widths and aspect ratios did not show the same clear separation by anatomic compartment, suggesting that in both smoking and nonsmoking animals length is the size parameter which is most important in determining fiber clearance. Smoking did not affect the lengths of MFs but did produce a progressive reduction in the lengths of FFs and TFs with time. These data indicate that smoking causes a marked increase in the number of fibers retained in the lung within macrophages and suggest that either macrophage removal via the mucociliary escalator or macrophage mobility is impaired by cigarette smoke. However, smoking does not change the sizes of fibers in macrophages and does not appear to depress phagocytic capacity.

• Research Organization: Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver
• OSTI ID: 5664069
• Journal Information: Am. J. Pathol.; (United States), Vol. 129:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ASBESTOS
RETENTION
SIZE
TOBACCO SMOKES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
FIBERS
GUINEA PIGS
LAVAGE
LUNGS
MACROPHAGES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
AEROSOLS
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
BODY
COLLOIDS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DISEASES
DISPERSIONS
MAMMALS
MICROSCOPY
ORGANS
PHAGOCYTES
RESIDUES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RODENTS
SMOKES
SOLS
SOMATIC CELLS
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology