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BIOMARKERS OF INFLAMMATION IN OZONE-EXPOSED HUMANS: COMPARISON OF THE NASAL AND BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE
Citation:
Graham, D. AND H. Koren. BIOMARKERS OF INFLAMMATION IN OZONE-EXPOSED HUMANS: COMPARISON OF THE NASAL AND BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-90/280 (NTIS PB91145060), 1990.
Description:
An influx of neutrophils (PMNs), a primary feature of acute inflammation, has been associated with the development of lower lung disorders, such as emphysema and idiopathic fibrosis, as well as airway hyperreactivity and increased mucus secretion. reviously, we established that an acute inflammatory response in the upper respiratory tract of humans could be studied by analysis of nasal lavages (NL), which is inexpensive, non-invasive, and atraumatic. owever, the relationship of the cellular changes in the upper respiratory tract to changes in the lower airways has not been thoroughly investigated in humans. n this study we have compared the cellular changes detected in the NL with those detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) taken from the same individual. en subjects were exposed to either filtered air or 0.4 ppm ozone (O3), with exercise, for 2 hrs. he NL was done prior to, immediately following and 18 hr post exposure, while the BAL was done only at 18 hr post exposure. ignificant increase in PMNs was detected in te NL immediately post exposure to O3, (7.7-fold increase; p=.003), and remained elevated in the 18 hr post -O3 NL (6.1-fold increase following O3 (3.9-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively)> he study demonstrates that PMW count sin the NL can potentially be a useful, inexpensive tool for identifying air pollutants with inflammatory properties.