title: Toxicity of intratracheally instilled cotton dust, cellulose, and endotoxin.
abstract: Cotton dust includes respirable particles containing endotoxin and elastase, agents associated with emphysema. To examine whether a respirable fraction of cotton dust could produce emphysema in an animal model, we intratracheally instilled hamsters with respirable cotton dust particles (0.75 mg/100-g animal), mass median aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 4.8 microns, twice weekly for 6 wk. We also examined whether instilled endotoxin (255 micrograms/100-g animal) could produce emphysema in hamsters and whether cellulose (0.75 mg/100-g animal) is an appropriate inert comparison dust. A saline-instilled group was the control. Hamsters were killed 8 wk after the last instillation. Static pressure-volume deflation curves of air-filled excised lungs were analyzed to measure lung distensibility. Lungs were fixed in inflation using glutaraldehyde and were examined morphometrically to obtain surface area and numbers of granulomata. Endotoxin-treated animals had increased distensibility, reduced surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio, and morphologically apparent mild centrilobular emphysema. Cellulose-treated animals had decreased distensibility, normal S/V ratio, and significant numbers of granulomata with patchy areas of thickened interalveolar septa. Cotton-dust-instilled animals had normal distensibility, reduced S/V ratio, significant numbers of granulomata, and mild centrilobular emphysema. These data suggest that cotton dust produces a significant parenchymal lesion with elements similar to both the emphysematous response to endotoxin and the fibrotic nodular response to cellulose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Milton
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Godleski
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Greaves
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002095:Byssinosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000633:toxicity*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004391:Dust / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D003368:Gossypium / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000209:etiology*; D014132:Trachea
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D004731:Endotoxins; D002482:Cellulose