Effects of sulfur dioxide or ammonium sulfate exposure, alone or combined, for 4 or 8 months on normal and elastase-impaired rats

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Environ. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-9351(89)80022-2· OSTI ID:5714434

Smith, L G; Busch, R H; Buschbom, R L; Cannon, W C; Loscutoff, S M; Morris, J E

Normal and lung-impaired rats were compared after exposure to SO2 and/or (NH4)2SO4 for 4 or 8 months, or for 8 months plus 3 months recovery. Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated intratracheally with either physiologic saline (normal lungs) or porcine pancreatic elastase (impaired lungs). Rats from each pretreatment group were exposed to filtered air (control), to SO2 (1 ppm) or (NH4)2SO4 (0.5 mg/m3), or to combined SO2 + (NH4)2SO4 for 5 hr/day, 5 days/week. Morphologic, physiologic, and immunologic criteria were evaluated. At 4 months cellular immunologic responsiveness was not impaired, but physiologic changes were detected. Morphologic changes were apparent in all time periods. Elastase-induced changes included greater lung volumes, emphysema, and alveolar interstitial fibrosis. Pollutant effects included bronchiolar epithelial hyperplasia and changes in alveolar mean chord length (MCL). Relative to controls, bronchiolar epithelial hyperplasia and MCL increased in saline/pollutant groups, but decreased in elastase/pollutant rats at 4 months. The pretreatment/pollutant interaction was not observed at 8 months. Elastase effects persisted throughout the recovery period. Pollutant effects were more transitory, although alveolar septal fibrosis was greater in saline/(NH4)2SO4 rats at 8 months. Pulmonary function changes associated with elastase included increases in residual volume, functional residual capacity, and the residual volume/total lung capacity ratios. The alveolar plateau of single-breath washout (N2 slope) was significantly steeper in elastase-treated rats but less steep in animals exposed to SO2 or to (NH4)2SO4 than in those exposed to air only.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5714434
• Journal Information: Environ. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: Environ. Res.; (United States) Vol. 49:1; ISSN ENVRA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
AMMONIUM SULFATES
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL MODELS
BODY
CHALCOGENIDES
DISEASES
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
EMPHYSEMA
ENZYMES
HYDROLASES
LUNGS
MAMMALS
MICROSCOPY
MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES
ORGANS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PEPTIDE HYDROLASES
POLLUTION
RATS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
RODENTS
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SERINE PROTEINASES
SPLEEN
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
SYNERGISM
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES