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EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES TO INVESTIGATE THE INTERACTION OF AIR POLLUTANTS AND LUNG DISEASE
Citation:
Gilmour, M I. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES TO INVESTIGATE THE INTERACTION OF AIR POLLUTANTS AND LUNG DISEASE. Fraunhofer Institute's International Conference on Health Effects of Particulate Matter, Hannover, Germany, June 10-13, 2003.
Description:
Epidemiological studies of smokers and other people exposed to high levels of air pollutants have demonstrated that these individuals suffer from more frequent and severe respiratory infections. Studies in animals have also shown that a wide range of airborne pollutants including cigarette smoke, oxidant gases, acid aerosols, metals, organic compounds, and combustion products can interfere with the normal defense processes of the lung to enhance susceptibility to respiratory infection. The mechanisms for these effects include decreases in mucociliary clearance and macrophage phagocytosis, as well as reduced specific immune responses such as antibody formation, and natural killer (NK) and T cell function. In contrast, some air pollutants may act as adjuvants to promote unwanted immune responses including IgE antibody, resulting in increased allergic lung disease and asthma. This dichotomy can be explained by the fact that immune responses are relatively plastic and that the suppression of one type of immune function may lead to an imbalance and greater expression of other responses. Although there is good evidence that similar mechanisms of depressed and enhanced immunity are operant in humans, the links to air pollution are not as strong because of incomplete exposure histories. Animal studies provide dosimetric information, which can be used to predict the relative health risk of simple and complex exposures, and may also lend insight into the mechanisms of air pollution toxicity. This presentation will describe several examples by which air pollutant exposure affects the severity of lung disease in experimental animals, and will offer approaches to predicting risk in the human population.