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Proinflammatory doses of diesel exhaust in healthy subjects fail to elicit equivalent or augmented airway inflammation in subjects with asthma

Proinflammatory doses of diesel exhaust in healthy subjects fail to elicit equivalent or augmented airway inflammation in subjects with asthma
Proinflammatory doses of diesel exhaust in healthy subjects fail to elicit equivalent or augmented airway inflammation in subjects with asthma
Background Exposure to traffic-derived air pollutants, particularly diesel emissions, has been associated with adverse health effects, predominantly in individuals with pre-existing respiratory disease. Here the hypothesis that this heightened sensitivity reflects an augmentation of the transient inflammatory response previously reported in healthy adults exposed to diesel exhaust is examined.

Methods 32 subjects with asthma (mild to moderate severity) and 23 healthy controls were exposed in a double-blinded crossover control fashion to both filtered air and diesel exhaust (100 μg/m3 PM10) for 2 h. Airway inflammation was assessed by bronchoscopy 18 h postexposure. In addition, lung function, fraction of exhaled nitric oxide and bronchial reactivity to metacholine were examined in the subjects with asthma.

Results In healthy control subjects a significant increase in submucosal neutrophils (p=0.004) was observed following the diesel challenge. Significant increases in neutrophil numbers (p=0.01), and in the concentrations of interleukin 6 (p=0.03) and myeloperoxidase (p=0.04), were also seen in bronchial wash after diesel, relative to the control air challenge. No evidence of enhanced airway inflammation was observed in the subjects with asthma following the diesel exposure.

Conclusions Exposure to diesel exhaust at concentrations consistent with roadside levels elicited an acute and active neutrophilic inflammation in the airways of healthy subjects. This response was absent in subjects with asthma, as was evidence supporting a worsening of allergic airway inflammation.
0040-6376
12-19
Behndig, Annelie F.
8b7190cd-e3ed-42a0-bc5c-8ae83c402097
Larsson, Nirina
cd94cb36-35f5-4d1f-909a-bc4ca9d755c3
Brown, Joanna L.
68251ae9-5625-4980-b752-38c241406ca8
Stenfors, Nikolai
69c8966c-e8f8-40f8-b8b2-8e4f918953f0
Helleday, Ragnberth
26fa403b-f9f0-41fd-9332-78bc493b78e5
Duggan, Sean T.
8e4bb7a9-6b00-4173-9a39-4d2bd7cac05f
Dove, Rosamund E.
2443b235-50b3-42cb-aaef-b27dd70fe9f1
Wilson, Susan J.
21c6875d-6870-441b-ae7a-603562a646b8
Sandstrom, Thomas
99593b63-fa97-40b6-a57d-5d7b2b4b1c01
Kelly, Frank J.
8eda554f-c23c-4321-b5e2-b99a72dfd0aa
Mudway, Ian S.
a9f9b1a8-2a5b-4b1f-836d-8649d3621522
Blomberg, Anders
b19c0008-dc79-425d-a05b-2fda60f020cf
Behndig, Annelie F.
8b7190cd-e3ed-42a0-bc5c-8ae83c402097
Larsson, Nirina
cd94cb36-35f5-4d1f-909a-bc4ca9d755c3
Brown, Joanna L.
68251ae9-5625-4980-b752-38c241406ca8
Stenfors, Nikolai
69c8966c-e8f8-40f8-b8b2-8e4f918953f0
Helleday, Ragnberth
26fa403b-f9f0-41fd-9332-78bc493b78e5
Duggan, Sean T.
8e4bb7a9-6b00-4173-9a39-4d2bd7cac05f
Dove, Rosamund E.
2443b235-50b3-42cb-aaef-b27dd70fe9f1
Wilson, Susan J.
21c6875d-6870-441b-ae7a-603562a646b8
Sandstrom, Thomas
99593b63-fa97-40b6-a57d-5d7b2b4b1c01
Kelly, Frank J.
8eda554f-c23c-4321-b5e2-b99a72dfd0aa
Mudway, Ian S.
a9f9b1a8-2a5b-4b1f-836d-8649d3621522
Blomberg, Anders
b19c0008-dc79-425d-a05b-2fda60f020cf

Behndig, Annelie F., Larsson, Nirina, Brown, Joanna L., Stenfors, Nikolai, Helleday, Ragnberth, Duggan, Sean T., Dove, Rosamund E., Wilson, Susan J., Sandstrom, Thomas, Kelly, Frank J., Mudway, Ian S. and Blomberg, Anders (2011) Proinflammatory doses of diesel exhaust in healthy subjects fail to elicit equivalent or augmented airway inflammation in subjects with asthma. Thorax, 66 (1), 12-19. (doi:10.1136/thx.2010.140053). (PMID:21149527)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background Exposure to traffic-derived air pollutants, particularly diesel emissions, has been associated with adverse health effects, predominantly in individuals with pre-existing respiratory disease. Here the hypothesis that this heightened sensitivity reflects an augmentation of the transient inflammatory response previously reported in healthy adults exposed to diesel exhaust is examined.

Methods 32 subjects with asthma (mild to moderate severity) and 23 healthy controls were exposed in a double-blinded crossover control fashion to both filtered air and diesel exhaust (100 μg/m3 PM10) for 2 h. Airway inflammation was assessed by bronchoscopy 18 h postexposure. In addition, lung function, fraction of exhaled nitric oxide and bronchial reactivity to metacholine were examined in the subjects with asthma.

Results In healthy control subjects a significant increase in submucosal neutrophils (p=0.004) was observed following the diesel challenge. Significant increases in neutrophil numbers (p=0.01), and in the concentrations of interleukin 6 (p=0.03) and myeloperoxidase (p=0.04), were also seen in bronchial wash after diesel, relative to the control air challenge. No evidence of enhanced airway inflammation was observed in the subjects with asthma following the diesel exposure.

Conclusions Exposure to diesel exhaust at concentrations consistent with roadside levels elicited an acute and active neutrophilic inflammation in the airways of healthy subjects. This response was absent in subjects with asthma, as was evidence supporting a worsening of allergic airway inflammation.

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More information

Published date: January 2011
Organisations: Infection Inflammation & Immunity

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 190863
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/190863
ISSN: 0040-6376
PURE UUID: 2d11323a-1f8a-4d48-bf60-3c0787a02395
ORCID for Susan J. Wilson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1305-8271

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Date deposited: 15 Jun 2011 12:51
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 03:42

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Contributors

Author: Annelie F. Behndig
Author: Nirina Larsson
Author: Joanna L. Brown
Author: Nikolai Stenfors
Author: Ragnberth Helleday
Author: Sean T. Duggan
Author: Rosamund E. Dove
Author: Susan J. Wilson ORCID iD
Author: Thomas Sandstrom
Author: Frank J. Kelly
Author: Ian S. Mudway
Author: Anders Blomberg

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