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J D Crapo

Publications and source records attributed to J D Crapo.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Quantifying lung structure. Experimental design and biologic variation in various models of lung injury.

The lung is a complex organ composed of a large number of different cell types of varying size and shape. Quantification of lung structure requires an understanding of how the distribution of specific cells and their characteristics affect the accuracy of measurement made on them and how to optimize experimental design for a morphometric study. We have studied lung structural modifications in a variety of lung injuries over the last decade. Extensive quantitative data from EM morphometric studies of pulmonary tissue have been collected. These data provide a unique opportunity to study the accuracy and efficiency of methods used to quantitate lung structure. We present and discuss novel computation-intensive methods for the estimation of biologic variability, sampling error, and measurement error. A new concept, unnested analysis of variance for stratified sampling and the use of computer-based methods for statistical analysis (the bootstrap method) and optimizing experimental design (nonlinear minimization procedure) are described in this report. Examples of experimental designs with their corresponding levels of accuracy and cost are also provided. The number of samples needed for a given level of precision is affected by the volume density of the structure being measured. The most important determinant for the overall accuracy of a morphometric study is the number of animals studied. Biologic variations between samples within an animal and among animals can vary significantly as a function of the model of injury studied.

Animals↗

Rat lung alveolar type I epithelial cell injury and response to hyperoxia.

Hyperoxia has been shown to cause extensive lung injury, which involves all components of the alveolar septum, although the type I epithelium has generally been reported to be resistant to significant injury. Electron microscopic morphometry was performed to define changes in volumes of subcellular components of alveolar epithelial cells in rats exposed to 85% O2 for 0, 7, and 14 d. Because of their large size, type I cells in control animals actually contain a greater volume of most of the organelles involved in cell metabolism than do type II cells. Hyperoxic exposure causes a dramatic change in the subcellular composition of the average type I cell, suggesting significant injury and/or response. Injury was suggested by the finding that lysosomes plus peroxisomes increased 1,250% after 7 d in hyperoxia and remained elevated by 200% after 14 d of exposure. Volumes of mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus increased by 100%, 51%, 91%, and 500%, respectively, after hyperoxia. Qualitative analysis showed an altered, ruffled air border with focal areas of cytoplasmic translucency (suggesting injury) and focal areas of subcellular hypertrophy. Exposure to hyperoxia was associated with more organelles being found in peripheral or attenuated portions of type I alveolar cells. Since the increase in type I organelles exceeds the volume of these organelles in its progenitor, the type II cell, it is likely that hyperoxia causes hypertrophy of the type I alveolar epithelium itself, independent of simple type II cell differentiation. Because of the large size and wide distribution of the type I cell, dramatic shifts in cell substructure caused by hyperoxia are more difficult to detect and require quantitative analysis to fully ascertain the extent of cell alterations.

Animals↗

Molecular structure of a functional rat gene for manganese-containing superoxide dismutase.

The manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) constitutes one of the major cellular defense mechanisms against the toxic effects of superoxide radical. The development of tolerance in adult rats to lethal exposure of O2 (100%) after pre-exposing them to a sublethal concentration of O2 (85%) was found to be closely associated with the increased activity of this enzyme in the lungs. Further experiments have shown that the transcriptional rate of the gene coding for MnSOD in rat lungs is increased at day 3 of 85% O2 exposure. To elucidate the nature of this transcriptional activation during hyperoxic insults, we chose to first understand the structure of the rat MnSOD gene. Three overlapping rat genomic fragments were isolated, and the DNA sequence containing the whole MnSOD gene was completely determined. The rat MnSOD gene contains at least five exons and is located in one piece of 16.4-kb EcoRI genomic DNA fragment. However, Southern blot analysis of total rat genomic DNA probed with MnSOD cDNA revealed an additional hybridizing 8.6-kb EcoRI genomic fragment besides the 16.4-kb one. To clarify the origin of this unexpected hybridizing genomic fragment, three unique genomic sequences derived from the promoter, intron 2, and the 3' untranslated region of the genomic clones were used to rehybridize the same Southern blot filter and were found to only hybridize to the 16.4-kb but not 8.5-kb EcoRI genomic fragment. These data suggest: (1) two MnSOD genes are present per haploid rat genome, and (2) all three cloned genomic fragments are derived from the MnSOD gene, which is located in the 16.4-kb EcoRI genomic fragment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cellular changes in the lungs of adrenalectomized rats following left pneumonectomy.

The time course and nature of the cellular response to left pneumonectomy, with or without prior adrenalectomy, were evaluated in the right lungs of male Sprague-Dawley rats using morphometric techniques. Animals were studied at days 2, 5, and 14 following pneumonectomy, intervals prior to, during the course of, and following significant compensatory changes in right lung mass. The postoperative increase in right lung mass and volume in pneumonectomized animals involved minimal changes in the ratios of most tissue components, when compared to the lungs of sham-operated controls. A transient disproportionate increase in type II cell volume and epithelial thickness was evident on day 14. Postpneumonectomy changes in the type II epithelium were accentuated in the lungs of adrenalectomized-pneumonectomized animals. Adrenalectomy 5 days prior to pneumonectomy resulted in a substantial increase in the volume of all right lung tissue components, associated with thickening of the alveolar wall and with increases in the volume of both cellular and noncellular interstitium. Effects of adrenalectomy on the endothelium also were evident. In both adrenal-intact and adrenalectomized animals, pneumonectomy increased alveolar number by day 14 but had no effect on the volume of individual alveoli. These results confirm a coordinated pattern of compensatory growth following pneumonectomy in the adrenal-intact rat. The data further suggest that in adrenalectomized animals compensatory lung growth is more poorly synchronized, with pronounced postoperative elevations in volume of the interstitial and type II epithelial compartments leading to increased thickness of the alveolar wall. Adrenal hormones thus appear to be required for coordination and control of compensatory lung growth and for rapid restoration of normal tissue structure.

Adrenal Glands↗

Spatial distribution of collagen and elastin fibers in the lungs.

Surface tension forces acting on the thin-wall alveolar septa and the collagen-elastin fiber network are major factors in lung parenchymal micromechanics. Quantitative serial section analysis and morphometric evaluations of planar sections were used to determine the spatial location of collagen and elastin fibers in Sprague-Dawley rat and normal human lung samples. A large concentration of connective tissue fibers was located in the alveolar duct wall in both species. For rats, the tissue densities of collagen and elastin fibers located within 10 microns of an alveolar duct were 13 and 9%, respectively. In human lung samples, the tissue densities of collagen and elastin fibers within 20 microns of an alveolar duct were 18 and 16%, respectively. In both species, bands of elastin fibers formed a continuous ring around each alveolar mouth. In human lungs, elastin fibers were found to penetrate significantly deeper into alveolar septal walls than they did in rat lungs. The concentration of connective tissue elements in the alveolar duct walls of both species is consistent with their proposed roles as the principal load-bearing elements of the lung parenchyma.

Adult↗

Alveolar type II cell responses to chronic inhalation of chrysotile asbestos in rats.

The effects of chronic exposure to chrysotile asbestos on alveolar type II cells were examined in the lungs of Fischer 344 rats. Morphometric and three-dimensional analyses were used to characterize the alveolar type II cell and to determine the relationship of asbestos fiber localization to ultrastructural change in these cells. During the 2-yr period of study, type II cell number and volume increased to values more than 4 times those seen in controls. Ultrastructurally, cisternal dilations of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) composed 12% of the total cell volume after 12 mo of exposure to asbestos and was still 15% of the total cell volume 1 yr after fiber exposure had ended compared to less than 1% in control cells. Asbestos fiber density surrounding these cells was directly proportional to the degree of cisternal dilatation in the cell; however, lamellar body volume and number in these cells were not different from that found in control type II cells. The incidence of a subset of type II cells with large lamellated inclusions was 10-fold greater in regions near bronchiolar-alveolar duct junctions, compared to more distal gas exchange regions of the lungs. Normal-sized lamellar bodies were fused to these large lamellated inclusions. These cells also contained significantly greater numbers of lamellar bodies and multivesicular bodies than those type II cells in more distal lung regions. These ultrastructural changes observed in type II cells may be a simple dose response to inhaled asbestos or the manifestation of two distinct populations of cells in the lungs that respond to asbestos in different ways. Asbestos fiber dose, cellular microenvironment, and aberrations of the cell plasma membrane and/or cell cytoskeleton (i.e., microtubules and filaments) are discussed as potential factors in the changes noted in type II cells.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Exposure to low levels of ozone results in enhanced pulmonary retention of inhaled asbestos fibers.

Health effects associated with exposure to ozone at environmentally relevant concentrations are subject to considerable controversy. Currently, no compelling evidence exists that exposure to low levels of ozone leads to lasting impairment of pulmonary structure or function. One adverse health effect of ozone may be to change lung uptake or clearance functions for other inhaled air pollutants. As a test of this hypothesis, Fischer 344 rats were continuously exposed to 0.06 ppm ozone 7 days a week with a slow rise in ozone to a peak of 0.25 ppm and subsequent decrease to 0.06 ppm over a 9-h period five times each week for 6 wk. Three days after the end of ozone exposure, animals-were exposed to aerosolized asbestos fibers for 5 h and examined immediately after or 30 days after exposure to asbestos. Filtered air control animals were simultaneously exposed to asbestos. Immediately after the end of fiber exposure, lung asbestos fiber burden was similar in both groups. However, 1 month after exposure, fiber mass and fiber number were significantly greater (p less than 0.05) in the lungs of animals exposed to ozone than in the lungs of those exposed to air. These findings suggest that ambient levels of ozone can impair clearance of fibrogenic and carcinogenic materials such as asbestos from the lungs and represent an important adverse effect of prolonged exposure to low levels of this oxidant gas.

Animals↗

Isolation and characterization of complementary DNAs encoding human manganese-containing superoxide dismutase.

cDNAs coding for human manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD) have been isolated from a human liver and a dibutyryl cyclic AMP differentiated U937 cDNA library constructed in vector lambda gtll. The nucleotide sequences of the insert cDNAs had an opening reading frame coding for 222 amino acid residues. The first 24 amino acids of the primarily translated polypeptide might constitute the leader peptide for transport of the precursors to the mitochondria. Differentiation of the U937 cells with dibutyryl cyclic AMP resulted in a 70% decrease in Mn SOD mRNA. The amino acid sequences of the mature Mn SODs of human, rat and mouse are highly conserved, while the sequences of the leader peptides of these species are moderately conserved.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effects of low levels of NO2 on terminal bronchiolar cells and its relative toxicity compared to O3.

This report describes structural changes occurring in the terminal bronchioles of rats exposed to low levels of NO2 continuously for 6 weeks. In addition, the relative susceptibility of epithelial cells to oxidants and the comparative toxicity of NO2 and O3 are discussed. Terminal bronchioles isolated from rats exposed 5 days/week to 2.0 ppm NO2 (plus two 1-hr daily spikes to 6.0 ppm) were found to have 19% less ciliated cells per unit area of epithelial basement membrane. The remaining ciliated cells had a reduced mean surface area (-29%). The shape of the Clara cell changed with reduced size of the dome protrusions but increased cell contact with the basement membrane. These data indicate that exposure to 2.0 ppm NO2 (+ spikes) for 6 weeks caused injuries to cilia and ciliated cells and possible Clara cell differentiation in the terminal bronchioles of adult rats. Exposures of adult or juvenile rats to 0.5 ppm NO2 (+ two 1-hr daily spikes 5 days/week to 1.5 ppm) did not cause morphologically measurable injuries in the terminal bronchioles. The severity of the concentration-dependent epithelial cell reactions to NO2 and O3 in adult rat terminal bronchioles were compared to those occurring in the proximal alveolar regions (PAR). Epithelial cells in the PAR appeared to be more susceptible to oxidant insult since both 0.5 ppm NO2 and 0.25 ppm O3 were found to cause epithelial injury only in the PAR. Comparison of epithelial reactions to 6-week exposures to either NO2 or O3 indicated that 0.25 ppm O3 caused four times as much increase in the number of type I epithelial cells as did 2 ppm (+spikes) NO2. Therefore, O3 could be 40 times more toxic than NO2 in the PAR on the basis of the inspired concentration and the focal response. On the other hand, there was no loss of ciliated cells following the 0.25 ppm O3 exposure. This suggests that the ratio of O3 to NO2 toxicity in the terminal bronchioles is considerably less than 10. The relative toxicity of the two oxidant gases appears to be site specific.

Animals↗

Pulmonary function in juvenile and young adult rats exposed to low-level NO2 with diurnal spikes.

Pulmonary function was examined for juvenile and young adult Fischer 344 rats that were continuously exposed to NO2 (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 ppm) for up to 6 wk. The exposure included twice daily 1-h spikes equal to 3 times the baseline concentration. This spike-to-baseline ratio was chosen to simulate morning and evening urban rush-hour conditions. Juvenile rats were examined after 3 and 6 wk of NO2 exposure, whereas young adult rats were examined after 1-, 3-, and 6-wk intervals. Lung volumes, compliance, and efficiency of ventilation distribution were evaluated. Lung volumes increased in the juvenile rats after 3- and 6-wk exposures to 1.0 and 2.0 ppm NO2, but were unchanged in young adult rats. Lung compliance increased in juvenile rats exposed to 1.0 or 2.0 ppm NO2 for 3 wk. However, it was unchanged in juvenile rats exposed for 6 wk or in young adult rats exposed for 1 or 3 wk. Compliance decreased in young adult rats exposed to 2.0 ppm NO2 for 6 wk and was correlated to an overall thickening of alveolar interstitium and septal tissue. However, the observed changes in pulmonary function were marginal and reversible, since lung-function measurements were not different from controls after a 3-wk recovery period.

Animals↗

Molecular immunocytochemistry of the CuZn superoxide dismutase in rat hepatocytes.

The distribution of CuZn superoxide dismutase (SOD) molecules in subcellular organelles in rat liver hepatocytes was studied using integrated biochemical, stereological, and quantitative immunocytochemical techniques. A known concentration of purified CuZn SOD in 10% gelatin was embedded alongside the liver tissue for the calculation of CuZn SOD concentrations in hepatocyte organelles and total CuZn SOD in the rat liver. Most of the CuZn SOD was located in the cytoplasmic matrix (73.1%) and in the nucleus (11.9%) with concentrations of 1.36 and 0.71 mg/cm3, respectively. Lysosomes contained the highest concentration (5.81 mg/cm3). Only low concentrations were measured in mitochondria (0.21 mg/cm3). Membrane-bound spaces of rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER), smooth ER, and the Golgi system did not contain significant concentrations of the enzyme. By adding up the concentrations in all subcellular compartments, a total liver content of CuZn SOD was established from the immunocytochemical measurements (0.386 +/- 0.028 mg/gm liver) that agreed closely with those obtained by biochemical assays (0.380 +/- 0.058 mg/gm liver). The average distances between two CuZn SOD molecules can be calculated from enzyme concentrations. It was determined that CuZn SOD molecules in the cytoplasmic matrix and nucleus were 34 and 42 nm apart, respectively. In peroxisomes and mitochondria, average intermolecular distance increased to approximately 60 nm and increased to 136 nm in smooth ER. CuZn SOD is a relatively abundant protein in the cytosol of hepatocytes and its distribution overlaps with major sites of O2- production. The efficiency of protection CuZn SOD can provide to cytosolic proteins from attacks by superoxide anion depends on the rate of O2- production, distribution of CuZn SOD relative to cytosolic proteins, and the relative reaction rates between O2- with both cytosolic proteins and CuZn SOD. Future studies of these substrate-enzyme relationships in vivo can lead to a greater understanding of how cells handle oxidant stress.

Animals↗

Evaluation of lung diffusing capacity by physiological and morphometric techniques.

Determinations of pulmonary diffusing capacity for CO (DLCO) by physiological and morphometric techniques have resulted in substantially different values for both DLCO and its major components. To evaluate the differences in these methods of measurement of DLCO, measurements were made under controlled conditions on isolated perfused dog lungs. Multiple gas-rebreathing techniques were used to measure DLCO, the membrane component of the diffusing capacity for CO (DmCO), and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) in both anesthetized dogs and after isolation and perfusion of their lungs. The isolated perfused lungs were than perfusion fixed for morphometric analysis of the components of DLCO. The values obtained morphometrically for Vc were similar to those measured by physiological techniques. Perfusion fixation did not substantially alter the morphometric estimate of DmCO when compared with previous values obtained on inflation fixed lungs. However, the morphometric estimate of DmCO was over 10 times higher than that estimated physiologically. Analysis of the potential errors in the techniques suggests that the correct value for DmCO is substantially higher than that commonly estimated by use of physiological techniques and that the explanation for the difference is due to a number of factors that can influence the binding of CO to hemoglobin under in vivo conditions. The net effect of these factors can be represented by an unknown in each component of the Roughton-Forster relationship so that 1/DL = 1/(U1.Dm) + 1/(U2.theta Vc), where theta is the binding rate for CO to hemoglobin. Because the magnitudes of the unknown terms (U1 and U2) in the Roughton-Forster relationship are likely to be large, this relationship cannot be reliably used to determine Dm and Vc.

Animals↗

Patterns of progression and markers of lung injury in rodents and subhuman primates exposed to hyperoxia.

Exposure to high concentrations of oxygen causes injury throughout the respiratory tract. Good markers for the earliest stages of injury are not available although the course of tissue and cell responses to injury has been well characterized in a variety of animal models including rats and subhuman primates. Exposure to subacute levels of hyperoxia (40%-60% O2) causes lung injury that is difficult to detect even after exposures of up to 7 days in duration unless animals are subsequently stressed with a second form of lung injury. Rats preexposed to 40% and 60% O2 die sooner when exposed to 100% O2 than do control animals, suggesting an increased susceptibility to a second injury. Rats exposed to 60% O2 are more susceptible to development of pulmonary edema during high tidal volume mechanical ventilation, suggesting an increased susceptibility to mechanical stress. Exposures to 60% O2 may set up chronic progressive inflammatory reactions in the lung interstitium manifested by an increase in interstitial cells and matrix occurring weeks after the hyperoxic exposure. Both rats and baboons show similar responses to acute lethal exposures to hyperoxia, although the time course is more prolonged in the baboon. Both species demonstrate increased numbers of neutrophils in the lung microvasculature as one of the earliest structural evidences of lung injury. Both species demonstrate an increase in interstitial cells, quantitative evidence of injury to alveolar epithelial cells, and a significant fall in the number of capillary endothelial cells during the late phases of hyperoxic lung injury. These changes are associated with significant decreases in the total lung capacity and residual volume, increases in pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, and tachycardia. Baboons develop a 30% reduction in cardiac output after 80 h of 100% oxygen exposure because of a diminished ejection fraction. The primary difference in the progression of lung injury between species is in the time course rather than in the basic pattern of morphologic and physiologic responses.

Animals↗

Effects of inhalation of 0.25 ppm ozone on the terminal bronchioles of juvenile and adult rats.

Cells of the terminal bronchioles are particularly susceptible to the effects of inhalation of low levels of ozone (O3). One-day-old (juvenile) or 6-week-old (adult) rats were exposed to 0.25 ppm O3 for 12 h/day or to continuous room air for 6 weeks. Morphometric analysis of perpendicular cross sections of terminal bronchioles demonstrated that exposure to O3 produced alterations in the surface characteristics of ciliated and nonciliated (Clara) cells in both groups of rats. There were significant losses (20-30%) of the surface area contributed by cilia and the luminal surface of Clara cells was decreased by 16-25%. O3 exposure also produced significant decreases in the number of brush cells per square millimeter of terminal bronchiolar basement membrane. The results of this study indicate that the normal structure of terminal bronchiolar epithelial cells is significantly altered by inhalation of 0.25 ppm O3. No statistically significant interactions between the effects of O3 and animal age at the beginning of the exposure were found.

Aging↗

Progressive lung cell reactions and extracellular matrix production after a brief exposure to asbestos.

Inhaled chrysotile asbestos fibers have been shown to deposit initially on the first alveolar duct bifurcations. In brief accidental exposure to asbestos, this would be the most likely site of a significant cellular or fibrotic reaction. The characteristics and progression of tissue reactions occurring at first alveolar duct bifurcations after a single brief asbestos exposure was defined using morphometric techniques. Seven-week-old rats were exposed, nose only, for 1 hour to chrysotile asbestos fibers. After the exposure, the animals were kept in air for 2 days or 1 month, and then their lungs were fixed by vascular perfusion or by intratracheal instillation of 2% glutaraldehyde. The first bifurcations of seven alveolar ducts in each animal were isolated from plastic-embedded tissue and thin-sectioned for electron-microscopic analysis. Two days after exposure, the volume of epithelium and interstitium in the duct bifurcations had increased by 78% and 28%, respectively (P less than 0.05). The total number and volume of alveolar macrophages on the bifurcations increased about 10 times (P less than 0.05), whereas the number and volume of interstitial macrophages increased threefold (P less than 0.05). Statistically significant increases in the numbers of Type I (82%) and Type II (29%) epithelial cells also occurred. One month after the 1-hour exposure, the volume of epithelium and the number of Type I and Type II cells were still greater than control values, but these differences no longer achieved statistical significance. The volume of the interstitium, on the other hand, increased 67% (P less than 0.05), and this was accompanied by a persistently high number of interstitial macrophages, accumulation of myofibroblasts/smooth muscle cells, and an increased volume of interstitial matrix. These results demonstrate that a brief exposure to chrysotile asbestos causes a rapid response that involves an influx of macrophages to the first alveolar duct bifurcations and alterations in the alveolar epithelium. These acute structural changes are followed by a progressive response manifested by increased numbers of interstitial cells and localized interstitial fibrosis.

Aerosols↗