Tracheal and bronchoalveolar permeability changes in rats inhaling oxidant atmospheres during rest or exercise

Permeability of tracheal and bronchoalveolar airways of rats was measured and used to examine the effects of inhaled oxidant-containing atmospheres. The atmospheres studied were (a) ozone (O3) at 0.6 ppm (1.2 mg/m3) or 0.8 ppm (1.6 mg/m3); (b) nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at 6 ppm (11.3 mg/m3) or 12 ppm (22.6 mg/m3); (c) O3 + NO2 at 0.6 ppm (1.2 mg/m3) and 2.5 ppm (4.7 mg/m3), respectively; and (d) a 7-component particle and gas mixture (complex atmosphere) representing urban air pollution in a photochemical environment. The rats were exposed for 2 h. The effects of exercise during exposure were evaluated by exposing additional groups in an enclosed treadmill. Exposure of resting rats to 0.8 ppm O3 increased tracheal permeability to DTPA and bronchoalveolar permeability to diethylenetriamine pentaacetate (DTPA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) at 1 h after the exposure. Bronchoalveolar, but not tracheal, permeability remained elevated at 24 h after the exposure. Exercise during exposure to O3 increased permeability to both tracers in the tracheal and the bronchoalveolar zones, and prolonged the duration of increased permeability in the tracheal zone from 1 h to 24 h, and in the bronchoalveolar zone from 24 h to 48 h. Permeability in the tracheal and bronchoalveolar zones of rats exposed at rest to 6 or 12 ppm NO2 did not differ from controls. However, rats exposed during exercise to 12 ppm NO2 for 2 h developed a significant increase in tracheal and bronchoalveolar permeability to DTPA and BSA at 1 h, but not at 24 or 48 h, after exposure. Exposure at rest to 0.6 ppm O3 plus 2.5 ppm NO2 significantly increased bronchoalveolar permeability at 1 and 24 h after exposure, although exposure at rest to 0.6 ppm O3 alone increased bronchoalveolar permeability only at 1 h after exposure. Exposure to O3 + NO2 during exercise led to significantly greater permeability to DTPA than did exercising exposure to O3 alone. Resting rats exposed to a complex gas/aerosol atmosphere composed of the above O3 and NO2 concentrations, plus 5 ppm (13.1 mg/m3) sulfur dioxide (SO2) and an aerosol of insoluble colloidal Fe2O3 with an aerosol of manganese, ferric, and ammonium salts, demonstrated increased permeability at 1 and 24 h after exposure. Nitric acid vapor was formed in both the O3 + NO2 atmosphere and the complex gas/aerosol atmosphere.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)