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Endotoxin responsiveness and subchronic grain dust-induced airway disease
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Endotoxin responsiveness and subchronic grain dust-induced airway disease

Caroline L. S George, Hong Jin, Christine L Wohlford-Lenane, Marsha E O'Neill, John C Phipps, Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Joel N Kline, Peter S Thorne and David A Schwartz
American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology, Vol.280(2), pp.L203-L213
02/01/2001
DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.2001.280.2.L203
PMID: 11158998
url
https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.2001.280.2.L203View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Endotoxin is one of the principal components of grain dust that causes acute reversible airflow obstruction and airway inflammation. To determine whether endotoxin responsiveness influences the development of chronic grain dust-induced airway disease, physiological and airway inflammation remodeling parameters were evaluated after an 8-wk exposure to corn dust extract (CDE) and again after a 4-wk recovery period in a strain of mice sensitive to (C3H/HeBFeJ) and one resistant to (C3H/HeJ) endotoxin. After the CDE exposure, both strains of mice had equal airway hyperreactivity to a methacholine challenge; however, airway hyperreactivity persisted only in the C3H/HeBFeJ mice after the recovery period. Only the C3H/HeBFeJ mice showed significant inflammation of the lower airway after the 8-wk exposure to CDE. After the recovery period, this inflammatory response completely resolved. Lung stereological measurements indicate that an 8-wk exposure to CDE resulted in persistent expansion of the airway submucosal cross-sectional area only in the C3H/HeBFeJ mice. Collagen type III and an influx of cells into the subepithelial area participated in the expansion of the submucosa. Our findings demonstrate that subchronic inhalation of grain dust extract results in the development of chronic airway disease only in mice sensitive to endotoxin but not in mice that are genetically hyporesponsive to endotoxin, suggesting that endotoxin is important in the development of chronic airway disease.

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