engleski

Alveolar Macrophages Phagocytic Capacity-A Tool for Assessing Harmful Potential of Xenobiotics

The primary functional properties of alveolar macrophages (AMs) the phagocytic activity and phagocytic capacity participate in the early lung clearance. Physical and chemical properties of invading agents may affect the phagocytic ability of AMs. In order to evaluate phagocytic capacity as a tool for assessing the risk potential of different agents the AMs phagocytic properties were studied after in vivo exposure to particulates of heterogeneous composition. The group of thirty Wistar rats was intratracheally instilled with fluorescent carboxylated polystyrene microspheres and another thirty rats with a comixture of microspheres and asbestos fibres. Free lung cells were obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage on the 1st, 7th, 30th, 80th, and 150th post-instillation days. To determine the phagocytic capacity of AMs, the microspheres within cells were counted using light and fluorescent microscopy. The burdened cells were divided in nine categories. The percentage of AMs with inert particle burden increased from the first to the 80th post- instillation day. By contrast, the AM capacity decreased in comixture insitlled rats throughout the study, starting from the first day.The results suggest that asbestos fibres caused inhibition in AM functional capacity even when mixed with the particles. To conclude: the phagocytic capacity may be used as an useful indicator of health risk assessment to airborne pollutants.

functionalitiy; phagocite; indicator; health risk; assesment

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