Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Vol 152, No. 4, 10 1995, 1215-1220.
Monocyte responsiveness and a T-cell subtype predict the effects induced by cotton dust exposure
L Beijer, RR Jacobs, B Boehlecke, B Andersson and R Rylander
Department of Environmental Medicine, Goteborg University, Sweden.
The aim of the study was to evaluate whether peripheral cellular parameters
could predict susceptibility to decreased lung function and associated
symptoms, in response to a single exposure to cotton dust. Previously
nonexposed subjects (n = 42) inhaled an aerosol of cotton dust in a model
cardroom during a period of 5 h. The subjects were examined before the
exposure for FEV1, procoagulant activity (PCA) in blood mononuclear cells
(BMNC), and serum IgE antibodies against a pool of inhalant antigens. Blood
lymphocytes were typed into the helper/inducer (CD4+) and
cytotoxic/suppressor (CD8+) T cells in combination with surface markers
subdividing these populations. A questionnaire was used to identify atopic
and nonatopic subjects. Immediately after exposure, the subjects were
tested for FEV1 and PCA, and symptoms were recorded with a questionnaire.
The dust exposure induced a decrease in FEV1 that was larger for the atopic
group, but did not change the PCA in BMNC. The decrease in FEV1 was
positively related to the preexposure PCA in both atopics and nonatopics.
Symptoms from the airways after the exposure were reported to the same
extent in the atopic and nonatopic group, and the subject group reporting
chest tightness had a larger preexposure PCA. The atopic group had a larger
proportion of blood CD8+ T lymphocytes negative for the monoclonal antibody
anti-S6F1 (CD8+S6F1-), and in this group the decrease in FEV1 was
significantly related to the proportion of this cell type. Also, in the
atopic group, the proportion of CD8+S6F1- cells correlated positively with
the preexposure PCA, and a negative correlation was found for this cell and
serum levels of IgE.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
