title: Acute cigarette smoke exposure induces apoptosis of alveolar macrophages.
abstract: Alveolar macrophages (AMs) may play a critical role in cigarette smoke (CS)-related pulmonary diseases. This study was designed to determine whether CS induces apoptosis of AMs. In in vitro studies, mouse, rat, and human AMs and human blood monocyte-derived macrophages cultured with aqueous whole CS extracts underwent apoptosis that was detected by light and electron microscopy and terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling. The gas phase of CSE did not cause apoptosis. The CS-induced apoptosis was associated with increased oxidative stress, Bax protein accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and mitochondrial cytochrome c release but was independent of p53, Fas, and caspase activation. This apoptosis was inhibited by antioxidants such as glutathione, ascorbic acid, and alpha-tocopherol. In in vivo studies where rats were exposed to the smoke from 10 cigarettes over 5 h in an exposure chamber, approximately 3% of AMs obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage after 24 h showed apoptosis. These results suggest that acute CS exposure is capable of inducing apoptosis of AMs.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan. kaoshiba@chi.twmu.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoshiba
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tamaoki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagai
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494826:BAX protein, human; C494827:Bax protein, mouse; C494828:Bax protein, rat; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D019014:fas Receptor; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D020169:Caspases