Exacerbated Airway Toxicity of Environmental Oxidant Ozone in Mice Deficient in Nrf2
Figure 3
Lung histopathology and mucus hypersecretion. (a) Epithelial proliferation lining terminal bronchioles and alveoli accompanying air space infiltration of inflammatory cells in (top panels) and (bottom panels) mice after air (left panels), 72 hr exposure to 0.3 ppm (middle panels), and 6 hr postexposure to 2 ppm (right panels). Representative light photomicrographs of H&E-stained lung tissue sections are presented. Arrows indicate proliferation of epithelial cells. Arrow heads indicate infiltrated inflammatory cells. AV: alveoli; BR: bronchi or bronchiole; TB: terminal bronchiole; BV: blood vessel. Bars = 100 μm. (b) AB/PAS-positive mucous goblet cells in (top panels) and (bottom panels) mice after air (left panels), 72 hr exposure to 0.3 ppm (middle panels), and 6 hr post-exposure to 2 ppm (right panels). Inlets are higher magnification of mucus stored in bronchial epithelial goblet cells. Representative light photomicrographs of AB/PAS-stained lung tissue sections are presented. Arrows indicate intraepithelial mucosubstances. Arrow heads indicate secreted mucus in air space. Bars = 100 μm. (c) Amount of Muc5AC proteins in secreted mucus determined by ELISA in BAL returns from and mice after air or exposure. All data are presented as mean ± SEM (-4/group). *Significantly different from genotype-matched air controls (). +Significantly different from exposure-matched mice ().
