PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Greg Rankin AU - Maria Sehlstedt AU - Jamshid Pourazar AU - Ala Muala AU - Robin Nyström AU - Christopher Boman AU - Anders Blomberg AU - Thomas Sandström TI - Emissions from incomplete wood combustion cause an immune response in endobronchial biopsies DP - 2013 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - P4241 VI - 42 IP - Suppl 57 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P4241.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P4241.full SO - Eur Respir J2013 Sep 01; 42 AB - Smoke from combustion of solid biomass is a major contributor to respiratory disease and is an important, understudied source of particulate matter (PM). Epidemiological studies have indicated adverse effects on obstructive airway diseases, acute lower respiratory tract infections and tuberculosis.The mechanisms by which wood smoke exhibits its effects on human health are not well understood. We hypothesised that wood smoke generated from incomplete combustion would cause airway inflammation.14 healthy subjects underwent controlled chamber exposure on two occasions to filtered air and to sooty wood smoke (PM∼314µg/m3), generated by a common Swedish wood stove firing birch logs. The study was performed in a double-blind randomized cross-over fashion and the subjects alternated between exercise (VE=20 L/min/m2) and rest at 15-minute intervals for 3 hours. Endobronchial biopsies were taken 24 hours after exposure and processed for GMA immunohistochemistry. Sections were stained for inflammatory cells and adhesion molecules.A significant increase in T cells occurred in the airway submucosa and epithelium after wood smoke exposure along with an increase in mast cell number in the submucosa (p<0.01). There was no change in neutrophil numbers or the expression of the adhesion molecules ICAM or p-selectin between the two exposures.Emissions from incomplete combustion of birch logs causes a modest immune response in the proximal airways of healthy subjects as seen by an influx of T cells and mast cells. Further research is needed to determine the mechanisms behind the present findings and the role of T cells and their subpopulations will be further investigated.