Taurine protects hamster bronchioles from acute NO2-induced alterations. A histologic, ultrastructural, and freeze-fracture study.

In this study the authors describe the use of dietary taurine to protect hamster lung epithelium from acute nitrogen dioxide (NO2) injury. The conclusions were based on histologic, ultrastructural, and freeze-fracture analyses. Hamsters were pretreated for 14 days with 0.5% taurine in their drinking water. They were then exposed to either 7 or 30 ppm NO2 for 24 hours. The lungs from animals of these experimental groups were compared with those from hamsters treated with only NO2, and those given only taurine and with untreated controls. After treatment, hamsters were anesthetized and perfusion-fixed through the right side of the heart with a solution containing 1% glutaraldehyde, 4% paraformaldehyde, and 0.2 M cacodylate. The trachea and lungs were removed en bloc and stored overnight in cacodylate buffer at 4 C. Terminal and respiratory bronchioles, including alveolar ducts and peribronchiolar alveoli, were dissected from each lobe and processed for embedding in Epon and freeze-fracture replication. Light and transmission electron microscopy revealed the typical inflammatory cell infiltrate in the bronchiolar and alveolar duct regions in the lungs of hamsters exposed to NO2. The bronchiolar epithelium appeared flattened because of loss and breakage of cilia on ciliated cells and apical protrusions of Clara cells. Clara-cell secretory granules were reduced or absent. Freeze-fracture replicas of tight junctions of bronchiolar epithelium analyzed by morphometric techniques demonstrated a reduction and fragmentation of fibrils. Only animals exposed to 30 ppm NO2 exhibited physiologic intercellular penetration of horseradish peroxidase. Hamsters pretreated with taurine and then exposed to NO2 showed none of these alterations. They exhibited the same morphologic features as the untreated controls and the hamsters treated only with taurine. On the basis of this evidence, it is suggested that prophylactic dietary taurine can prevent acute NO2-induced morphologic lung injury. Taurine may also be effective in preventing lung injury induced by other oxidant gases.