Shokeir M O, Paré P, Wright J L
University of British Columbia, Department of Pathology, Vancouver, Canada.
Thorax. 1994 Aug;49(8):786-8. doi: 10.1136/thx.49.8.786.
Endothelin is a potent bronchoconstrictor which appears to be important in asthma. To ascertain whether cigarette smoking is associated with any alteration in the proportion of bronchiolar epithelial cells which express endothelin immunoreactivity, the airways in the lungs of non-smokers and smokers were analysed. Since an increase in immunoreactivity has been found in the bronchial epithelial cells of asthmatic subjects, cigarette smokers with and without evidence of airway hyperresponsiveness were also selected.
A point counting method which examined the proportion of endothelin immunoreactive epithelial cells in membranous and respiratory bronchioles was used.
Neither smoking itself nor evidence of airway hyperresponsiveness altered the percentage of endothelin immunoreactive epithelial cells in the membraneous and respiratory bronchioles.
Cigarette smoke does not induce endothelin production in bronchiolar epithelial cells, and the airway hyperresponsiveness seen in some patients with lung disease induced by cigarette smoking is not related to exaggerated endothelin production in epithelial cells.
内皮素是一种强效支气管收缩剂，在哮喘中似乎起重要作用。为了确定吸烟是否与表达内皮素免疫反应性的细支气管上皮细胞比例的任何改变有关，对非吸烟者和吸烟者肺内的气道进行了分析。由于在哮喘患者的支气管上皮细胞中发现免疫反应性增加，因此还选择了有和没有气道高反应性证据的吸烟者。
采用一种点计数法，检查膜性和呼吸性细支气管中内皮素免疫反应性上皮细胞的比例。
吸烟本身和气道高反应性证据均未改变膜性和呼吸性细支气管中内皮素免疫反应性上皮细胞的百分比。
香烟烟雾不会诱导细支气管上皮细胞产生内皮素，吸烟所致某些肺部疾病患者出现的气道高反应性与上皮细胞中内皮素产生过多无关。
