Irreversible bronchial goblet cell metaplasia in hamsters with elastase-induced panacinar emphysema

A single intratracheal instillation of pancreatic elastase in hamsters induces a lesion resembling human panacinar emphysema. This paper reports the occurrence of irreversible goblet cell metaplasia in the bronchial epithelium of hamsters similarly exposed to elastase. The goblet cell change was dose related; a dose of 0.1 mg/100 g body wt or less at 16 days, produced slight or moderate goblet cell metaplasia in fewer than half the animals, whereas 84% of animals treated with a dose between 0.2 and 0.5 mg/100 g body wt developed goblet cell metaplastic lesions, more than half of which were considered to be severe. The percentage of goblet cells in the epithelium of elastase-treated hamsters (32.5) was significantly higher (P less than 0.005) than that of unexposed (12.2) and saline-exposed controls (18.7). All hamsters examined 6 and 12 mo after elastase treatment showed the lesion. The pathogenesis of the changes is unclear but the possibility is raised that the bronchial changes may be due to disturbance of an endogenous protease-antiprotease system. The findings suggest the hypothesis that, under appropriate circumstances, a single pulmonary insult in man could lead to a permanent lung injury demonstrating the anatomic lesions of both chronic bronchitis and panacinar emphysema.