Dose-dependent cigarette smoking-related inflammatory responses in healthy adults.
The aim of this study was to determine the dose-response relationship between cigarette smoke exposure and pulmonary cell and cytokine concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). BAL cells and BAL supernatant concentrations of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 from 14 healthy smokers and 16 healthy nonsmokers were quantified. Statistically greater concentrations of neutrophils, macrophages, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 were observed among smokers compared with nonsmokers (p < or = 0.0007 in all cases). Cigarette smoking, categorized ordinally as: less than one pack, one pack, or greater than one pack per day, was predictive of BAL macrophages (p < 0.0001), neutrophils (p = 0.015), IL-1 beta (p < 0.001) and IL-8 (p = 0.02). We conclude that concentrations of macrophages, neutrophils, IL-1 beta and IL-8 are elevated in the pulmonary microenvironment of smokers in a cigarette dose-dependent manner. Based on the present findings, we would caution against simple analyses that treat current smokers as a homogeneous group and which do not account for smoking intensity.
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94117, USA.
W G
WG
Kuschner
A
A
D'Alessandro
H
H
Wong
P D
PD
Blanc
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D002452:Cell Count; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000032:analysis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000032:analysis; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000032:analysis; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000473:pathology; D012906:Smoke / Q000009:adverse effects; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D016207:Cytokines; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D012906:Smoke; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha