Mechanisms of lung endothelial barrier disruption induced by cigarette smoke: role of oxidative stress and ceramides.

ABSTRACT: The epithelial and endothelial cells lining the alveolus form a barrier essential for the preservation of the lung respiratory function, which is, however, vulnerable to excessive oxidative, inflammatory, and apoptotic insults. Whereas profound breaches in this barrier function cause pulmonary edema, more subtle changes may contribute to inflammation. The mechanisms by which cigarette smoke (CS) exposure induce lung inflammation are not fully understood, but an early alteration in the epithelial barrier function has been documented. We sought to investigate the occurrence and mechanisms by which soluble components of mainstream CS disrupt the lung endothelial cell barrier function. Using cultured primary rat microvascular cell monolayers, we report that CS induces endothelial cell barrier

SUBMITTER: Schweitzer KS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3233827 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature