[Patho-physiological changes in the lung parenchyma caused by exposure of tobacco smoke in the hamster].

Patho-physiological changes in the lung parenchyma caused by exposure of tobacco smoke was estimated in the hamster which an antioxidant enzyme system of lung tissue most resembled the human lung. In only a smoke exposure, the morphological and functional alteration was scarce. The alveolar epithelial cell composition also did not influenced by tobacco smoke exposure. But the distribution of neutrophil in the alveolar capillary space markedly influenced increasing in smoke exposure. In the latter stage of tobacco exposure, the alveolar macrophage became a large in the size and had a lot of vacuoles and lysosomal granules in the cytoplasm. When a lung injurious agent, Bleomycin, was added to the tobacco smoke exposure, the lung tissue injury became unexpectedly severe comparing only treatment of Bleomycin. These results suggest that only tobacco smoke exposure does not induce a morphological and functional alteration in the lung but could promote an induction of a synergistically severe lung injury adding another lung tissue injurious agent. Consequently it seems a tobacco smoking is an objectionable addiction.