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Mariangela Macchione,^1,2 Alexandre P. Oliveira,¹ Christina T. Gallafrio,¹ Fabio P. Muchão,¹ Marcos T. Obara,¹ Eliane T. Guimarães,¹ Paulo Artaxo,³ Malcolm King,⁴ Geraldo Lorenzi-Filho,¹ Virgínia C.B. Junqueira,^2,5 and Paulo H.N. Saldiva¹

¹Laboratório de Poluição Atmosférica Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina da USP and Instituto do Coração, HC-FMUSP, São Paulo, Brazil
²Instituto de Química, Departamento de Bioquímica da USP, São Paulo, Brazil
³Grupo de Estudos de Poluição do Ar, Instituto de Física da USP, São Paulo, Brazil
⁴Pulmonary Research Group, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
⁵Centro de Estudos do Envelhecimento, UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

This work was designed to evaluate the toxicity of inhalable particles 10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀) collected from the urban air in São Paulo, Brazil, to the mucociliary apparatus using the frog palate preparation. Seven groups of frog palates were immersed in different concentrations of PM₁₀ diluted in Ringer's solution during 120 min: 0 (control, n = 31) ; 50 (n = 10) ; 100 (n = 9) ; 500 (n = 28) ; 1,000 (n = 10) ; 5,000 (n = 11) ; and 10,000 µg/m³ (n = 10) . Mucociliary transport and transepithelial potential difference were determined at 0, 30, 60, and 120 min exposure. Additional groups (control and 500 µg/m³) were studied by means of morphometric analyses (quantification of the amount of intraepithelial and surface mucins) , measurement of cilia beat frequency, and quantification of total glutathione. Mucociliary transport and transepithelial potential difference were significantly decreased at higher concentrations of PM₁₀ (p = 0.03 and p = 0.02, respectively) . Exposure to PM₁₀ also elicited a significant decrease of total glutathione (p = 0.003) and depletion of neutral intraepithelial mucins (p = 0.0461) . These results show that PM₁₀ can promote significant alterations in ciliated epithelium in vitro. Key words: air pollution, cilia beat frequency, glutathione, mucociliary transport, morphometric analyses. Environ Health Perspect 107:829-833 (1999) . [Online 9 September 1999]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1999/107p829-833macchione/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to P.H.N. Saldiva, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr., Arnaldo 455, CEP-01246-903, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Telephone: 5511 3066-7234. Fax: 5511 3064-2744. E-mail: pepino@usp.br

We thank A.C. Ribeiro and A.L. Loreiro (Instituto de Física da USP) for assistance, M.A.S. Leitão and E. Saito (Instituto de Química da USP) for experimental advice, G.M.S. Conceição (Faculdade de Medicina da USP) for statistical analysis, and H.M. Bueno Guimarães and N.S. Lima (Faculdade de Medicina da USP) for animal preparation.

This work was supported by grants from FAPESP, LIM-FMUSP, CNPq, and PRONEX.

Received 2 November 1998 ; accepted 17 June 1999.