Interference of a short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide with allergic airways responses to allergenic challenges in BALB/c mice.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) is a common indoor and outdoor air pollutant whose role in the induction of asthma is unclear. We investigated the effects of NO(2) on the development of asthma-like responses to allergenic challenge in BALB/c mice. Ovalbumin (OVA)-immunized mice were intranasally challenged with OVA or saline solution just before starting a 3 h exposure to 5 or 20 ppm NO(2) or air. Twenty parts per million of NO(2) induced a significant increase of bronchopulmonary hyperreactivity in OVA-challenged mice and of permeability according to the fibronectin content of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) 24 h after exposure, as compared with air or 5 ppm NO(2). Eosinophilia (cell counts in the BALF and eosinophil peroxidase of lung tissue) was detected at 24 and 72 h with similar levels for air and 20 ppm NO(2), whereas a marked reduction was unexpectedly observed for 5 ppm NO(2). At 24 h, interleukin-5 in the BALF was markedly reduced at 5 ppm compared with 20 ppm NO(2) and was also more intense for 20 ppm NO(2) than for the air group. In contrast to specific IgG1 titers, anti-OVA IgE titers and interleukin-4 in the BALF were not affected by NO(2) exposure. Irrespective of the concentration of NO(2), OVA-challenged mice did not develop late mucosal metaplasia compared with those exposed to OVA-air. These results indicate that a short exposure to NO(2) can exacerbate or inhibit some features of the development of allergic disease in mice and may depend on the concentration of pollutant.
Proust
Barbara
B
Unité de Pharmacologie Cellulaire, Unité Associée Institut Pasteur - INSERM U485, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
Lacroix
Ghislaine
G
Robidel
Franck
F
Marliere
Maryse
M
Lecomte
Anthony
A
Vargaftig
B Boris
BB
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology*; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000209:etiology*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000502:physiology; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000032:analysis; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000145:classification; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000633:toxicity*; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology
D000393:Air Pollutants; D005353:Fibronectins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015848:Interleukin-5; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D010047:Ovalbumin; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide