Cent Eur J Public Health 2004, 12(Supplement):S20-S23

Evaluation of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Cytotoxic Parameters after Inhalation Exposure to Amosite and Wollastonite Fibrous Dusts Combined with Cigarette Smoke

Černá S.¹, Beňo M.¹, Hurbánková M.¹, Kováčiková Z.¹, Bobek P.¹, Kyrtopoulos S.A.²

¹ Slovak Medical University, Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

² Institute of Biological Research and Biotechnology, National Hellenic Research, Foundation, Athens, Greece

The aim of this work was to compare the influence of amosite-asbestos and wollastonite fibrous dusts combined with cigarette smoke on chosen cytotoxic parameters of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in rats. Fisher 344 rats inhaled wollastonite or amosite fibrous dusts (60 or 30 mg.m-3 air) one hour every two days combined with daily breathing of diluted mainstream tobacco smoke (30 mg of TPM.m-3 air). The experiment lasted 6 months. After sacrifying the animals bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed and the viability and phagocytic activity of alveolar macrophages (AM), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phopshatase activity (in the cell-free BALF), acid phosphatase (ACP) and cathepsin D activity (in cell-free BALF and BAL cell suspension) were examined. Exposure to amosite without tobacco smoke significantly decreased the viability of AM and increased the cathepsin D activity in BAL cells. Exposure to wollastonite significantly increased only the cathepsin D activity in BAL cells. Smoking significantly depressed the phagocytic activity of AM and amplified the amosite-induced increase of lysosomal enzyme activities - especially the activity of cathepsin D in BAL cells.

Keywords: smoking, inhalation exposure, amosite, wollastonite, phagocytic activity, viability, lysosomal enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase

Published: March 1, 2004  Show citation