[The effects of smoking on pulmonary IgA and immune response to antigen in young smokers].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the influence of smoking on pulmonary immune function.


METHODS
Twelve healthy volunteers, of them 5 smokers and another 7 nonsmokers, underwent right middle lobe bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and transbronchial instillation of KLH into lingula. Dimeric and monomeric IgA, albumin and cellular differential count in BALF were measured. Serum anti-KLH IgA was tested at various days after instillation of antigen.


RESULTS
The level of monomeric IgA, counts of neutrophils and pulmonary macrophages in BALF of smokers were significantly higher than nonsmokers. Positive correlations were found between mIgA, and albumin and neutrophils counts. Serum anti-KLH IgA level in smokers increased slower and decreased earlier than in nonsmokers.


CONCLUSIONS
Smoking causes inflammatory responses in lung and injures pulmonary immune response to antigen in young smokers.
Huang
S
S
Guangxi Institute of Occuational Disease, Nanning 530021, China.
Huang
P
P
Weissman
D N
DN
D000328:Adult; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000276:immunology*
D000941:Antigens; D007070:Immunoglobulin A