Increased numbers of macrophages are found in the lungs of smokers and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Experimental evidence shows the central role of macrophages in elaboration of inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α and the progression toward cigarette smoke-induced emphysema. We investigated the role of CX3CR1 in recruitment of mononuclear phagocytes, inflammatory cytokine ...

Cigarette smoke may contribute to pulmonary vascular remodeling (PVR), a result of the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), before pulmonary hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Activated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) are considered to be involved the process of PVR. This study investigated the potential role of ERK1/...

Cigarette smoke, a complex mixture of over 7000 chemicals, contains many components capable of eliciting oxidative stress, which may induce smoking-related disorders, including oral cavity diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of whole (mainstream) cigarette smoke on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). Cells were exposed to various puffs (0.5-12) of whole cigarette smoke and oxida...

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease characterized by abnormal cellular responses to cigarette smoke, resulting in tissue destruction and airflow limitation. Autophagy is a degradative process involving lysosomal turnover of cellular components, though its role in human diseases remains unclear. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Increased auto...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by a state of chronic pulmonary inflammation punctuated by microbial exacerbations. Despite advances in treatment options, COPD remains difficult to manage. In this study, we investigated the potential of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ activation as a new therapy against cigarette smoke-induced inflammation and it...

To determine the effect of mineral fibers and cigarette smoke on remodeling of lung tissues, we examined matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), MMP-2, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), TIMP-2, and types I and IV collagen mRNA levels from rat lungs exposed to mineral fibers and/or cigarette smoke in vivo. Male Wistar rats (10 weeks of age) were given a single intratracheal instilla...

BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking is an important risk factor for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Chymase has been shown to function in the enzymatic production of angiotensin II (AngII) and the activation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 in the cardiovascular system. The aim of this study was to determine the potential role of chymase ...

INTRODUCTION Cigarette smoke is a profound pro-inflammatory stimulus that contributes to acute lung injuries and to chronic lung disease including COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis). Until recently, it was assumed that resolution of inflammation was a passive process that occurred once the inflammatory stimulus was removed. It is now recognized that resolution of inflammation is a bioactiv...

For years it has been postulated that the cigarette smoker adversely affects the nonsmoker by contaminating the indoor atmosphere (2,3). Recently, the U.S. Surgeon General, J. L. Steinfeld, focused public attention on the question when he requested a ban on smoking in closed public spaces (4). The average person spends the great majority of his time, probably 80 to 90 percent, indoors (5);thus,...

Second-hand smoking (passive smoking or environmental smoke exposure) refers to air inhaled by a nonsmoker that is contaminated by smoke released from a burning cigarette or in the exhaled air of a person smoking a cigarette. More than 4,000 chemicals, including at least 43 known cancer-causing agents, have been identified from environmental smoke.1 In 1993, the United States Environmental Prot...