BACKGROUND Chronic alcohol abuse causes oxidative stress and impairs alveolar epithelial barrier integrity, thereby rendering the lung susceptible to acute edematous injury. Experimentally, alcohol-induced oxidative stress increases the expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) in the lung; however, we do not know the precise contribution of various alveolar cells in this process. In ...

Surfactant protein (SP) A and SP-D are the pulmonary members of the collectin family, structurally related proteins involved in innate immune responses. Here, we have examined the abilities of SP-A, SP-D, mannose-binding protein (MBP), and the complement component C1q to stimulate actin-based cellular functions in rat alveolar macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes. Our goal in this study w...

Alveolar macrophages are known to express a variety of growth factors and neurotrophins. Fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) is abundantly present in the lung and has mitogenic and neurotrophic activities similarly to neurotrophins. In order to determine whether FGF-1 associates with neurotrophins in alveolar macrophages, we investigated the immunocytochemical colocalization of FGF-1 with neurot...

In whole animal studies, it has been shown that turnover of surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) is faster than that of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). The goal of this investigation was to characterize the metabolism of DPPG by alveolar macrophages and to determine whether they contribute to the faster alveolar clearance of DPPG. Isolated rat alveolar macrophages were incub...

Acute exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution causes thrombotic cardiovascular events, leading to increased mortality rates; however, the link between PM and cardiovascular dysfunction is not completely understood. We have previously shown that the release of IL-6 from alveolar macrophages is required for a prothrombotic state and acceleration of thrombosis following exposure to PM. H...

Alveolar macrophages, which generate high levels of reactive oxygen species, especially O(2)(*-), are involved in the recruitment of neutrophils to sites of inflammation and injury in the lung, and the generation of chemotactic proteins triggers this cellular recruitment. In this study, we asked whether O(2)(*-) generation in alveolar macrophages had a role in the expression of chemokines. Spec...

An experimental model of carrageenan-induced pneumonia in rabbits was used to study the proliferation and desquamation of alveolar lining epithelium, light and electron microscopically. Observation at 5 hr after intrapulmonary injection of 0.5% lambda carrageenan solution revealed epithelial cell (predominantly type 1 pneumocyte) injury, exposing the basement membrane of the alveolar wall, and ...

Innate immune mechanisms against Pneumocystis carinii, a frequent cause of pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals, are not well understood. Using both real time polymerase chain reaction as a measure of organism viability and fluorescent deconvolution microscopy, we show that nonopsonic phagocytosis of P. carinii by alveolar macrophages is mediated by the Dectin-1 beta-glucan receptor and t...

Asbestos and silica are well-known fibrogenic dusts. However, there is no comprehensive understanding of the molecular and cellular events that lead to fibrosis as a consequence of asbestos or silica inhalation. Previous studies have shown that asbestos stimulates superoxide anion production in alveolar macrophages through the phospholipase C/protein kinase C pathway. In contrast, silica does n...

As tuberculosis (TB) still claims millions of lives in the world, more research should be directed toward understanding this disease and finding a more effective solution. In vivo human alveolar macrophages are an important focus in TB research since the causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can be harbored within these cells in an inactive form for a long time before reactivation. To da...