![Sample our Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5944/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Medicine-Dentistry-Nursing-Allied-Health.jpg"})
Abstract
Rats exposed to tobacco cigarette smoke (CS) via inhalation from a high-tar cigarette for 4 h/day over a 14-day period showed measurable changes in specific biochemical and immunological markers of lung injury when compared to control rats exposed to clean dry air. We found epithelial cell layer thickening and increased lung permeability as measured by histopathological examination, and increased levels in hexose and protein exudation present in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Exposure to CS also caused a significant reduction in immunoglobulin A (lgA) levels (p < .001), which persisted after postexposure recovery. In addition, alveolar macrophages from rats exposed to CS were unresponsive to lipopolysaccharide stimulation in vitro as shown by reduced expression of cytokine interleukin 1β mRNA compared to air controls. These results suggest that high-tar cigarette smoke can induce disfunctional changes in immune systems. However, as no reproducible smoke-induced changes were seen using medium-tar cigarettes, we have to conclude that the rat may not be the most sensitive species in which to evaluate the mode of action of cigarette smoke on the lung.