Plant extract reduces tobacco smoke harmful effects on alveolar macrophage immune responses

Tobacco smoke is a major factor responsible for lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although the best solution to reduce the incidence of these diseases is to quit smoking, there are still a large number of smokers. Thus, given the immunoregulatory properties of plant extracts, their capacity to reduce tobacco smoke harmful effects on alveolar macrophage (AM) functions was investigated. AM were treated with tobacco smoke extract and parenchymata tissue extract (PTE), or mesophyll cell extract (MCE) of Spinacia oleacea. The effects of tobacco smoke extract from PTE and MCE-treated cigarette filters were also investigated. AM production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and AM cytotoxicity were measured. Tobacco smoke extract significantly inhibited TNF, IL-10, and MCP-1 release, and AM cytotoxicity. The addition of PTE and MCE to tobacco smoke extract abrogated the inhibition of AM mediator release. However, only MCE restored AM cytotoxicity. Interestingly, tobacco smoke extract of PTE and MCE-treated cigarette filters showed reduced effects on AM functions. Tobacco smoke extract from MCE-treated (0.25%) cigarette filters did not inhibit TNF, IL-10, and MCP-1 release in contrast to tobacco smoke extract from buffer-treated cigarette filters. AM cytotoxic activity was not inhibited by the treatment with tobacco smoke extract from MCE-treated cigarette filters. Our data suggest that the presence of plant extract in cigarette filters reduces the inhibitory effects of cigarette smoke on AM functions. Thus, MCE-treated cigarette filters may help reducing lung diseases associated with smoking.     

苯作业对工人血清白细胞介素-6肿瘤坏死因子影响的研究

目的 :探讨苯作业工人血清中细胞因子白细胞介素 -6(IL-6)、肿瘤坏死因子 (TNF)的变化及其意义。方法 :用放射免疫法 ,对不同工龄的苯作业工人血清中IL-6,TNF浓度进行检测 ,并同白细胞变化进行对照比较。结果 :接苯作业工人血清中IL-6 ,TNF较对照组有明显升高 (P<0.05,P<0.01) ,且这些变化在白细胞明显降低前即已发生。结论 :苯作业可致工人血清TNF,IL-6水平的增高 ,这对苯中毒的早期诊断有一定意义。