Reversible impairment of the adherence of alveolar macrophages from cigarette smokers.

The nylon fiber adherence in vitro of alveolar macrophages (AM) from cigarette smokers was uniformly decreased. The mean adherence of AM from 16 cigarette smokers was 53 +/- 3.0 per cent, compared to a mean adherence of 77.2 +/- 1.7 per cent for AM from control nonsmokers. The defect was not present after the subjects quit smoking, was not a result of factors in lavage fluids from smokers, and was not apparent in polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The morphologic features of the surface of AM were examined with scanning electron microscopy to determine whether morphologic changes paralleled the decreased adherence of AM from smokers. Marked alterations in the surface of AM from cigarette smokers, which could affect the ability of AM to adhere optimally, were demonstrated before attachment to the fiber. In summary, there exists a reversible, intrinsic defect in the structure and adherence of AM from cigarette smokers that may influence their function and may accout, in part, for the increased yield of AM from the lavage fluid of cigarette smokers.