Study objectives: To test a cell model of snoring-induced airway inflammation and to assess whether a vibration stimulus simulating the one experienced by airway tissues in snoring patients induces inflammation in airway epithelial cells.
Design: Prospective controlled study in cell culture.
Setting: University laboratory.
Patients or participants: Human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B cell line).
Interventions: Cell cultures were subjected to vibration (60 Hz, +/- 0.3 mm) for time periods of 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours. The vibratory stimulus was applied with and without treatment with inhibitors of the 3 main pathways of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK): p38, MEK1/2, and JNK.
Measurements and results: The effect of vibration was assessed by comparing cell proliferation and release of interleukin-8 (IL-8; measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) in cells subjected to the vibratory stimulus (both when treated and untreated with MAPK inhibitors) and in controls. Application of vibration up to 24 hours did not significantly modify cell proliferation. By contrast, the concentration of IL-8 in the supernatant was significantly increased after 12 hours and 24 hours of vibration. The inhibition of the p38, MEK1/2, and JNK MAPK pathways significantly reduced the overexpression of IL-8 resulting from the vibration stimulus.
Conclusions: A mechanical vibration simulating snoring triggered an inflammatory cascade, as reflected by the increase in IL-8 release mediated by MAPK pathways. The novel model developed is potentially applicable to studying the effects of the vibration due to snoring in the different cell types (epithelial, endothelial, muscular, neuronal) involved in airway pathophysiology during respiratory sleep disturbances.