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Biomedical subjects

S F Man

Publications and source records attributed to S F Man.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Essential fatty acid metabolism in cultured human airway epithelial cells.

To characterize essential fatty acid metabolism of human airway epithelium, we examined the capacity of epithelial cells to incorporate and desaturate/elongate 18:2(n - 6) and the turnover of phospholipid fatty acyl chains in these cells. Epithelial cells were cultured for 5-7 days and incubated with [1-14C]18:2(n - 6) (1 microCi, 100 nmol). The essential fatty acid profile of the cells was readily modified by 18:2(n - 6) supplementation to culture medium. After 4 h incubation, 32 +/- 5.6 nmol of [1-14C]18:2(n - 6) was incorporated into phospholipids (65 +/- 9.5%, of which 74% was incorporated into phosphatidylcholine (PC)) and neutral lipid (31 +/- 10%) per mg protein of cultured cells. 30 +/- 8% of [1-14C]18:2(n - 6) incorporated, was converted to homologous trienes, tetraenes and pentaenes, the major products being 20:3(n - 6) and 20:4(n - 6). The conversion of 18:2(n - 6) was time-dependent and donor age-related. A higher proportion of 20:3(n - 6) and 20:4(n - 6) was incorporated into phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). About 10-15% of total products formed from 18:2(n - 6) was released from membrane to culture medium. Both 20:4(n - 6) and 20:5(n - 3) inhibited 18:2(n - 6) incorporation and desaturation. Rate of incorporation of 18:2(n - 6) was more than either 18:1(n - 9) or 16:0. With pulse-chase studies, the half-life of 18:2(n - 6) in PC, PI and PE was estimated to be 5.5, 6.0 and 7.3 h, respectively. These data indicate active metabolism of essential fatty acids in human airway epithelial cells. This metabolism may play a key role in the regulation of membrane properties and function in these cells.

Carbon Radioisotopes

The chloride channel blocker anthracene 9-carboxylate inhibits fatty acid incorporation into phospholipid in cultured human airway epithelial cells.

This study investigated whether making epithelial cell membranes impermeable to Cl- movement affects incorporation of fatty acids into membrane constituents. Epithelial cells were isolated from human nasal polyps, cultured for 5-7 days, and used to test the effect of anthracene 9-carboxylate (9-AC), known to inhibit Cl- conductance across the epithelial membrane, on the incorporation and desaturation of [1-14C]linoleic acid (C18:2,n-6) in experiments of up to 4 h duration. 9-AC (5 mM) reduced C18:2,n-6 incorporation into phospholipid by 60-70%, and increased incorporation of C18:2,n-6 into triacylglycerol by 50-100%. The decrease in C18:2,n-6 incorporation into phospholipid was rapid and dependent on the concentration of 9-AC. Substitution of extracellular Cl- with gluconate significantly decreased C18:2,n-6 incorporation into phospholipid, suggesting that the effect of 9-AC may occur by inhibiting Cl- conductance. Lipid analysis of cells exposed to 50 microM-C18:2 revealed that, as a consequence of the effect of 9-AC, the level of C18:2,n-6 in cell membrane phospholipid was significantly lowered. The relative rate of C18:2,n-6 desaturation was not apparently changed by 9-AC. These data suggest that Cl- conductance may play a role in fatty acid incorporation into epithelial cell membrane phospholipids.

Amiloride

Halide permeation through 10 pS and 20 pS anion channels in human airway epithelial cells.

Halide permeability sequences were obtained from reversal potential measurements of single-channel currents through 10 pS and 20 pS anion channels in human airway epithelial cells. The sequences obtained were Cl- greater than I- greater than Br- greater than or equal to F- for the 10 pS channel and Cl- greater than I- greater than or equal to Br- greater than or equal to F- for the 20 pS channel. However, the permeability differences were not large, the greatest being 0.66 for the ratio of fluoride to chloride permeability in the 20 pS channel. Single-channel currents were also measured with solutions of constant halide concentration but varying ratios of chloride to fluoride ions. An anomalous mole fraction effect was observed for the 20 pS channel but not for the 10 pS channel, suggesting that the former is a multi-ion channel. Comparison of the halide permeability sequences of these two channels with those of whole-cell currents in other epithelial cells does not support their involvement in any of the known whole-cell epithelial currents.

Bromides

Overall and regional lung function in Andean natives after descent to low altitude.

Overall lung volumes, regional residual volume to total lung capacity ratio (RVr/TLCr), regional ventilation (V/V) and perfusion (Q/V) were measured at 670 m in six Quechua Indians on days 2 and 37 after leaving their high-altitude homes (3500-4500 m). On day 2 the lung volumes averaged between 124 and 137% of those predicted for low-altitude residents (LAR) and there were no significant changes on day 37. Although overall RV/TLC was not different from the predicted value for LAR, RVr/TLCr on day 2 was higher at the top and lower at the bottom of the lungs compared to LAR. Regional Q/V and V/V were not different from LAR on day 2, or on day 37. However, the ratio of Q/V at the bottom to Q/V at the top was 2.36 on day 2 and 2.84 on day 37 (P less than 0.05). On day 2 hemoglobin- and volume-corrected diffusing capacity was 145% of the value predicted for LAR and this fell to 135% predicted on day 37 (P less than 0.05). Natives of high altitude reportedly have more alveoli that LAR and this could explain the greater vital capacity toward the bottom of the lung if the alveolar proliferation is concentrated there. This might also lower pulmonary vascular resistance at the bottom which would explain the normal Q/V distribution, even though pulmonary artery pressure may be increased.

Adult

Noise analysis and single-channel observations of 4 pS chloride channels in human airway epithelia.

Apical membranes of human airway epithelial cells have significant chloride permeability, which is reduced in cystic fibrosis (CF), causing abnormal electrochemistry and impaired mucociliary clearance. At least four types of chloride channels have been identified in these cells, but their relative roles in total permeability and CF are unclear. Noise analysis was used to measure the conductance of chloride channels in human nasal epithelial cells. The data indicate that channels with a mean conductance of 4.5 pS carry most of the chloride current, and that the mean number of such channels per cell is approximately 4,000. Chloride channels in this conductance range were also seen in single-channel recordings.

Biophysical Phenomena

Subconductance states in calcium-activated potassium channels from canine airway smooth muscle.

The single-channel patch clamp technique was used to analyze subconductance states in the 260 pS calcium-activated potassium channel from canine airway smooth muscle. More than sixty minutes of single channel data (greater than 87,000 events) from five excised patches were analyzed. Six subconductance amplitudes were clearly established to be 17, 33, 41, 52, 63 and 72% of the full conductance. Subconductance openings were usually brief (milliseconds) and represented less than 5% of the total channel open time, but they also persisted for several seconds on rare occasions. They appeared to be unaffected by voltage or time after seal formation, but may have increased in occurrence with decreasing calcium concentration. Irregular amplitude intervals, and the presence of ramp-like, analog transitions between conductance states, suggest a model for maxi-K subconductance states in which the channel protein undergoes random conformational changes causing a variable pore size.

Animals

An inwardly rectifying chloride channel in ragweed-sensitized canine tracheal epithelial cells.

The single channel inside-out patch clamp technique was used to characterize ion channels in the apical membranes of ragweed-sensitized and control canine tracheal epithelial cells maintained in primary culture. Patches were obtained from single isolated cells or from cells at the edges of confluent sheets. A new type of chloride channel was seen in sensitized cells but not in control cells. The channel showed inward rectification in symmetric chloride solutions with conductance varying from 95 pS to 52 pS over the range of -60 mV to 60 mV membrane potential. Channel gating was voltage dependent with maximal opening at about -30 mV. Kinetic analysis showed that distributions of closed and open times could both be well fitted by the sums of three exponential components. Rate constants for transitions between the states of a linear kinetic model were calculated, with only one rate being significantly voltage dependent. The possible significance of this channel is discussed.

Animals

Computerized tomography versus perfusion lung scanning in canine radiation lung injury.

Computerized tomographic (CT) measurements of lung density were obtained before and serially after thoracic irradiation in dogs to detect the alterations caused by radiation therapy. Fourteen mongrel dogs were given either 2000 cGy (Group A, 10 dogs, right lower zone irradiation), 1000 cGy (Group B, 2 dogs, right lower zone irradiation), or 500 cGy (Group C, 2 dogs, right lung irradiation) in one fraction. Once before and bi-weekly after irradiation, the anesthetized dogs had thoracic CT scans. CT numbers for the irradiated area were compared to their preirradiation control values. Macro-aggregated albumin (MAA) perfusion lung scans were also obtained before and at weekly intervals after irradiation and were evaluated visually and quantitatively for abnormalities. When both these tests were abnormal, or at the end of the scheduled study, the dogs were sacrificed to confirm radiation lung injury histologically. Our results showed that CT numbers (as a measure of tissue density) were higher with higher doses of radiation. Among all the techniques used, only the quantitative assessment of macro-aggregated albumin perfusion scan detected abnormalities in all the dogs given 2000 cGy. Their abnormalities correlated well with the presence of radiation lung damage histologically, however, the applicability of these methods in the detection of early injury has to be further evaluated.

Animals

The 20-pS chloride channel of the human airway epithelium.

The single-channel inside-out patch clamp technique was used to characterize chloride channels in the apical membranes of human airway epithelial cells maintained in primary culture. Patches were obtained from single isolated cells or from cells at the edges of confluent groups. The channel seen most often, in 24% of all patches, had a conductance of approximately 20 pS and had a linear current-voltage relationship in symmetric chloride solutions. The anion selectivity sequence for the channel was NO3- greater than Cl- greater than HCO3-, and it was impermeable to gluconate ions, indicating that the channel diameter lies between 4.7 and 5.5 A. Current through the channel saturated at high chloride concentrations, and the relationship between channel current and chloride concentration could be approximated by the Michaelis-Menten equation. Analysis of the channel's anion permeability and its current vs. concentration relationship indicates that it can be described by the one-ion channel theory, with a relatively weak binding site inside the channel. Histograms of channel open and closed durations were constructed using the log binning technique and could be well fitted by triple exponential distributions, suggesting that the channel has at least three open and three closed states.

Calorimetry

Reflex changes in tracheal smooth muscle tone during high-frequency oscillation.

We examined the effect of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) on tracheal smooth muscle tension and upper airway resistance in anesthetized dogs. The animals were ventilated via a low tracheostomy by HFOV or conventional intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) with and without added positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). The transverse muscle tension of the trachea above the tracheostomy was measured and found to be lower during HFOV when compared with IPPV or IPPV with PEEP. When both vagi were cooled to 8 degrees C to interrupt afferent traffic from the lungs, there was no longer any difference between the modes of ventilation. In a second series of experiments, the airflow resistance of the upper airway above the tracheostomy was measured (Ruaw). During HFOV, Ruaw was significantly lower than during either IPPV or IPPV with PEEP. We conclude that HFOV induces a relaxation of tracheal smooth muscle and a reduction of upper airway resistance through a vagally mediated mechanism.

Airway Resistance

Resorptive clearance and transepithelial potential difference in capsaicin-treated F344 rats.

The long-term effects of substance P (SP) depletion on epithelial integrity were assessed by measurements of airway transepithelial potential difference (PD) and resorptive clearance. Both techniques are highly sensitive to differences in epithelial permeability. PD (mV) was assayed with a KCl-saturated agar bridge technique in the lower trachea of Fischer 344 rats depleted of SP by neonatal capsaicin treatment. Capsaicin treatment is known to ablate a subpopulation of primary afferent fibers containing SP. Resorptive clearance (clearance in 1 h) was measured with 99mTc-labeled diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid administered as a 100-microliters (100 microCi) bolus. Depletion of SP by neonatal treatment with capsaicin resulted in a highly significant increase in resorptive clearance (P less than 0.001). There was also a significant difference in PD in the lower trachea, the values being less negative for the capsaicin-treated rats (P less than 0.005). The increase in resorptive clearance may reflect the leakiness of the epithelial membrane, as also suggested by the decrease in PD. Aside from its known involvement as a neurotransmitter in neurogenic inflammation, SP may, under normal physiological conditions, have an additional role in the maintenance of epithelial barrier function.

Animals

Sequential changes in canine pulmonary epithelial and endothelial cell functions after nitrogen dioxide.

Through its ability to cause lipid peroxidation, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) may affect the functional properties of both the pulmonary epithelium and endothelium. We evaluated this possibility in 13 mongrel dogs by exposing these animals to 200 or 400 ppm NO2 for 1 h. The changes in pulmonary epithelial permeability (using a radioaerosol technique), FRC, and endothelial function (the removal of radiolabeled serotonin, [14C]5-HT, and prostaglandin E1, [3H]PGE1, from the pulmonary circulation) were measured at 1 h and at 2, 7, or 14 days after NO2 exposure. In another six dogs, we evaluated changes in cell population and albumin in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid caused by NO2. In the first two days after NO2 exposure, focal pulmonary edema was documented on microscopy, radioaerosol clearance was delayed, and FRC decreased slightly. BAL showed a marked increase in albumin, but the removal of trace amounts of 5-HT and PGE1 by the endothelium was not altered. All physiologic abnormalities returned to normal with time.

Albumins

Cyclosporine and chronic sarcoidosis.

Two patients with progressive sarcoidosis who had poor responses and side effects from corticosteroid therapy were treated with cyclosporine. Cyclosporine suppressed conventional markers of inflammation and there was clinical improvement in one patient, but the disease recurred when therapy was discontinued. The second patient who had diabetes mellitus developed unstable glucose metabolism when given cyclosporine. This unstable diabetes mellitus together with side effects of nausea and vomiting resulted in weight loss and inadequate serum therapeutic levels that was associated with a poor therapeutic response to the cyclosporine. The major side effects in both patients were headache and gastrointestinal symptoms, but there was no renal dysfunction. We conclude that while corticosteroids remain the mainstay of sarcoid therapy, when these drugs have not been successful for the skin manifestations of the disease, a trial of cyclosporine may be justified.

Adult

Study of airway epithelial permeability with dextran.

We studied the penetration of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) T-40 dextran into the paracellular spaces in the tracheal mucosa and its appearance in the blood plasma of guinea pigs exposed to cigarette smoke or (controls) breathing room air. Under general anesthesia, the dextran solution was instilled onto the tracheal surface via a tracheotomy tube, arterial blood was sampled serially for 40 min, and then the trachea was fixed by perfusion or immersion. Examination of the tracheal mucosa with light microscopy, with and without epifluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy, revealed dextran in the paracellular spaces in mucosa from experimental animals but not controls. In all control animals, the levels of the dextran in plasma was below the sensitivity of the assay. By contrast, dextran levels in the plasma from the experimental animals fell within the sensitivity range of the assay and increased in blood at a rate of 0.00125 +/- 0.00023 (SE) expressed as a percentage of the instilled dose/min. We conclude that FITC T-40 dextran provides a reliable, fairly simple, fast method for assessing major, but not subtle, changes in paracellular permeability of the tracheal mucosa.

Animals

Bordetella parapertussis invasion of HeLa 229 cells and human respiratory epithelial cells in primary culture.

Bordetella parapertussis, a respiratory tract pathogen commonly regarded as noninvasive, was found to invade HeLa 229 cell monolayers. Following treatment of the monolayers with gentamicin, numbers of viable B. parapertussis recovered were comparable to those of invasive Salmonella and Shigella isolates. Invasion occurs through a cytochalasin-sensitive process which appears to be distinct from receptor-mediated endocytosis. Hyperimmune antisera raised against filaments hemagglutinin, a major adhesion of B. pertussis, did not inhibit invasion by B. parapertussis, suggesting that alternate adhesin(s) are required for invasion. In addition, B. parapertussis was found to invade human respiratory epithelial cells in primary culture, as demonstrated in ultrathin sections viewed by transmission electron microscopy. Although viable intracellular B. parapertussis persist within HeLa cells, they do not multiply there and the monolayers remain intact, suggesting a possible mechanism of carriage for these organisms.

Antibodies, Bacterial

Cystic fibrosis affects chloride and sodium channels in human airway epithelia.

Abnormalities of epithelial function in cystic fibrosis (CF) have been linked to defects in cell membrane permeability to chloride or sodium ions. Recently, a class of chloride channels in airway epithelial cells have been reported to lack their usual sensitivity to phosphorylation via cAMP-dependent protein kinase, suggesting that CF could be due to a single genetic defect in these channels. We have examined single chloride and sodium channels in control and CF human nasal epithelia using the patch-clamp technique. The most common chloride channel was not the one previously associated with CF, but it was also abnormal in CF cells. In addition, the number of sodium channels was unusually high in CF. These findings suggest a wider disturbance of ion channel properties in CF than would be produced by a defect in a single type of channel.

Chlorides

Assessment of temporal changes in pulmonary edema with NMR imaging.

Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI) parameters [longitudinal relaxation time (T1), transverse relaxation time (T2), and signal intensity] acquired at a magnetic field of 2.35 T were validated with a study of nine different phantom gel solutions. This technique was then applied to study 13 anesthetized supine cats, among which 10 had lung edema induced by oleic acid (0.075 ml/kg); the result was compared with postmortem analyses of lung water. Three animals (series A) were imaged until the edema was first visualized in NMRI, usually 15-20 min after oleic acid infusion. Another seven animals (series B) were imaged over 4-5 h. As lung water increased, so did the signal intensity. When edema first appeared, T1, T2, and the volume of the edematous region within the slice in the upper lobes showed no gravity-dependent differences; this was confirmed by postmortem measurements (series A) of lung water. With time, gravity-dependent regions displayed greater volumes of edematous regions and greater T1 values (P less than 0.01), suggesting a continued accumulation of lung water. In comparison, nondependent regions displayed constant volumes of edematous region and lesser T1 values (P less than 0.01), suggesting an increased protein concentration but no change in lung water. This study suggests the potential applicability of NMRI parameters in the assessment of pulmonary edema.

Animals

Effects of SO2 exposure on canine pulmonary epithelial functions.

We examined the effects of a single exposure of high concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) on the pulmonary epithelium in adult dogs over a period of several weeks. Mucociliary tracheal transport rates and alveolar clearance of 99mTc-labeled diethylene triamine pentacetate (99mTcO4-) were measured in vivo, before and immediately after inhalation of 100 ppm or 500 ppm SO2, and then weekly for 3-5 weeks. At the completion of the in vivo studies, tracheal epithelium was studied in Ussing chambers for bioelectric properties (short-circuited current, transepithelial potential difference), nonelectrolyte permeability for calculation of pore sizes, and changes in bioelectric properties following pharmacological manipulations. These tissues were then fixed for scanning electron microscopy studies. Additional dogs were sacrificed for microscopy studies at several time intervals to provide a histological basis for the altered mucociliary transport. We found that despite marked derangement of mucociliary transport caused by damage to the ciliated cells, recovery occurred over a period of several weeks, and alveolar permeability as assessed by the radioaerosol technique did not change. We concluded that the solubility of SO2 and perhaps a more severe damaging effect of SO2 specific on the ciliated cells might be the explanation for the observations.

Administration, Inhalation