Transport of α-Aminoisobutyric Acid by Alveolar Macrophages Incubated With Cigarette Smoke and Nicotine

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Abstract
Aqueous extracts of cigarette smoke or nicotine at concentrations that did not greatly affect cellular viability, as measured by dye exclusion, markedly reduced the transport of α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) by rabbit alveolar macrophages. Smoke extract was prepared by drawing smoke from three cigarettes (100 mm, nonfilter) into 25 ml of a modified Hanks solution. Aqueous extract of smoke, and nicotine, produced a biphasic effect on AIB transport: a stimulation at low concentrations and an inhibition at higher concentrations. Cell viability, as estimated by dye exclusion, was reduced only 17% by the highest concentration of the smoke extract. These data suggest that transport of a nonmetabolizable amino acid, 14C-AIB, is a sensitive and quantitiative assay for examining the influence of air contaminants on membrane permeability.