Effects of cigarette smoke extract on bovine bronchial epithelial cell attachment and migration

The repair of injured epithelium involves a complex interaction between epithelial cells and the underlying extracellular matrix. We studied the effects of sublethal concentrations of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and two volatile components of cigarette smoke, acetaldehyde and acrolein, on bovine bronchial epithelial cell (BBEC) attachment and migration in vitro. After short-term exposure (2 and 6 h) to CSE, BBEC attachment to fibronectin-coated dishes was decreased, and migration to fibronectin was unchanged. After a longer period of exposure, 24 h, attachment was increased and migration was unchanged. Exposure to a peptide containing the amino acid sequence arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) reduced attachment equally well for control and smoke-exposed cells. BBEC sheet migration was reduced over 72 h after exposure to CSE. Acrolein reduced BBEC migration to fibronectin but had no effect on attachment. Acetaldehyde had no effect on either attachment or migration. We conclude that exposure to CSE has important effects on bronchial epithelial cell migration and attachment, and that these effects change over time.