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Biomonitoring for assessment of organic dust-induced lung inflammation

Dept of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.

CORRESPONDENCE: P. S. Thorne, Dept of Occupational and Environmental Health, The University of Iowa, College of Public Health, 100 Oakdale Campus, IREH, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000, USA. Fax: 1 3193354006. E-mail: peter-thorne{at}uiowa.edu

Keywords: Biomonitoring, endotoxin, exposure assessment, organic dust, whole blood assay

Received: August 4, 2004
Accepted February 13, 2006

Inhalation exposure to particulate matter containing endotoxin (or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) occurs in a variety of occupations. Nasal lavage and induced sputum have been used to evaluate lung inflammation resulting from such exposures. Whole blood assay (WBA) measures cytokine production of leukocytes after ex vivo stimulation with LPS. The present study examined the effectiveness of WBA for evaluating inflammatory responses and susceptibility.

C3HeB/FEJ mice were tolerised by LPS injection or sham tolerised with saline. Animals then inhaled either swine barn dust extract containing endotoxin or saline. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was assayed for leukocyte counts and pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-). Whole blood was stimulated with 10 or 100 ng·mL^-1 of LPS, incubated for 5 or 18 h and assayed for cytokines.

Barn dust-exposed groups revealed significantly higher total cells, neutrophils and cytokines in BAL compared with saline-exposed groups. Animals tolerised to LPS and exposed to barn dust demonstrated lower cellular and cytokine BAL responses. Similarly, WBA yielded significantly elevated cytokines with barn dust exposure and reduced responses with tolerisation.

This study demonstrates the efficacy of whole blood assay as a biomarker of inhalation exposure to inflammatory agents and its use for assessing susceptibility to organic dust-induced lung inflammation.

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