GRANULOCYTE RECRUITMENT TO AIRWAYS EXPOSED TO ENDOTOXIN AEROSOLS

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Guinea pigs were exposed to aerosols of 0.1 mg of Salmonella typhosa endotoxin/ml for 2 or 4 h, and white cells in blood and in bronchopulmonary lavage were counted at 2, 4 and 6 h. The lungs of a 2nd group of guinea pigs and hamsters exposed in the same manner were fixed in inflation with OsO4 in fluorocarbon, which retains cells on luminal surfaces of airways. The polymorphonuclear leukocyte counts in cardiac blood were significantly increased, and lymphocyte counts were decreased at 6 h (P < 0.05). The number of cells obtained by bronchopulmonary lavage, which were mostly polymorphonuclear leukocytes, increased at 4 h to 28 million, and at 6 h, was 26.5 million (P < 0.01), compared to 5 million cells at the same times in air and in water aerosol control preparations. The polymorphonuclear cell counts on airway cross sections, i.e., (polymorphonuclear cells/epithelial cells) .times. 100, showed a mean .+-. SD peak of 53.9 .+-. 10.9 after 4 h in guinea pigs and a peak of 99.7 .+-. 11.0 after 6 h in hamsters. Alveoli showed no cell recruitment. Platelets were aggregated on surfaces of arterioles facing bronchioles, although counts in blood were unchanged. Neither leukocytes nor airway cells showed damage to their ultrastructure. The time course for airway recruitment and leukocytosis matches that for symptoms after exposure of workers to dusts from natural fodder or fibers. Leukocyte recruitment to airways by inhaled endotoxin may be part of the mechanism for the fever and chest tightness in occupational allergic disorders, e.g., bagassosis, byssinosis, mill fever and detergent enzyme worker''s asthma.

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: