Mechanisms of fibre-induced superoxide release from alveolar macrophages and induction of superoxide dismutase in the lungs of rats inhaling crocidolite.

Asbestos resembles the phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), in its ability to elicit release of superoxide (O2-.) from rodent alveolar macrophages (AM) in vitro. In addition, superoxide dismutase (SOD), the antioxidant enzyme scavenging O2-, is increased in cultures of tracheobronchial epithelial cells and lung fibroblasts after exposure to either crocidolite or chrysotile asbestos. Our objectives here were to determine: (1) the chemical and physical properties of asbestos important in the generation of O2- from rat AM; and (2) the effects of O2- in comparison with asbestos on biosyntheses of collagen and non-collagen protein in rat lung fibroblasts in vitro. We were also interested in whether increased production of SOD occurred in the lungs of rats after inhalation of crocidolite asbestos. To determine whether O2- was elicited in response to a variety of asbestiform fibres, AM lavaged from Fischer 344 rat lungs were exposed in vitro to equivalent non-toxic amounts of crocidolite asbestos, erionite, Code 100 fibreglass, sepiolite, and their non-fibrous analogues, riebeckite, mordenite and glass particles. In addition, sized preparations of long (greater than 10 microns) and short (less than 2 microns) asbestos were introduced at identical concentrations to determine whether length of fibres is critical in O2- release. The amount of O2- released from AM in response to dusts was then determined by measuring SOD-inhibitable reduction of cytochrome C. All asbestiform fibres caused a significant (p less than 0.05) increase in generation of O2- from epithelial cells, whereas non-fibrous particles were less active at comparable concentrations. Experiments with long (greater than 10 microns) versus short (less than 2 microns) chrysotile showed that long fibres caused a more striking, dosage-dependent release of O2-. To determine whether O2- plays a role in the causation of fibrotic lung disease, rat lung fibroblasts were exposed to a biochemical generation system (xanthine-xanthine oxidase) for O2- before quantitation of cell-associated collagen and non-collagen protein at 24, 48 and 72 h thereafter. At the latter time periods, significant increases in total collagen per ng DNA were observed. In comparison with controls, the generation system for O2- also caused an initial decrease in synthesis of non-collagen protein followed by increases in synthesis of non-collagen protein at 48 and 72 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)