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

Journal Article · Wed May 01 04:00:00 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]

---

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

Related Subjects

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