Hamster trachea organ cultures

Oxidant-mediated ciliary dysfunction. Possible role in airway disease

The effects of reactive species of oxygen on the airway are not well known. This study examined the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the structure and function of the airway epithelium. Tracheal rings were prepared from 200 g male rats. Damage to the airway epithelium was assayed by monitoring the ciliary beat frequency, the release of 51Cr, and histology. H2O2 at concentrations of 1.0 mM and above caused a very rapid decrease in ciliary beat frequency. After ten minutes' exposure to 1.0 mM, the ciliary beat frequency was 72 +/- 20 percent of control. Release of 51Cr was a less sensitive measure with significant release occurring after four hours of exposure to ciliotoxic concentrations of H2O2. Histologic changes were not evident within the experimental time period. All toxic effects of H2O2 were completely blocked by catalase. This study shows that H2O2 causes a rapid decline in ciliary activity and suggests that oxidant-mediated ciliary dysfunction could play a role in the pathogenesis of airway disease. The ciliary beat frequency provides a sensitive, physiologically relevant parameter for the in vitro study of these diseases.

Effects of heavy metals on structure, function, and metabolism of ciliated respiratory epithelium in vitro

Tracheal explants were used to evaluate the relative ciliostatic and cytotoxic potential of heavy metal salts (cadmium chloride, chromium chloride, nickel chloride, and copper sulfate). Explants from hamster, rat, and guinea pig were all sensitive to the metals, though guinea pig explants showed the greatest difference between the untreated and metal treated tissues. Dosage levels were 50, 100, and 500 microM, for 24 to 148 h. Cadmium caused the greatest degree of ciliostasis and cell necrosis. Copper was less toxic, and nickel and chromium caused marginal damage when tested at 100 microM or lower. In each instance, damage became detectable at approximately 24 to 48 h and was nearly stabilized by 72 h. A significant loss of ciliary motion was always accompanied by a decrease in metabolic activity (dehydrogenase activity and ATP content). Transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed a severely necrotic epithelium after exposure to cadmium, with only subtle morphological alterations after exposure to other metals. With all of the treatments there was no overt structural damage to cilia and little alteration in membranes of cells remaining in the epithelium. Some coagulation or vacuolization was noted in cadmium and copper treated explants but most cellular organelles did not display obvious damage. The most significant changes in the tracheal epithelium exposed to heavy metal salts in vitro were a loss of ciliary motion and a decrease in total ATP content.

Effect of in vitro cultivation and Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection on intracellular cyclic AMP levels in hamster tracheal organ cultures

Exogenous cyclic AMP and dibutyryl cyclic AMP decreased the relative ciliary activity values of tracheal organ cultures. In contrast, theophylline and cholera toxin were not ciliostatic. The use of a radioimmunoassay for cyclic AMP indicated that all of the tested substances increased intracellular cyclic AMP levels to some extent (from 3-fold for cholera toxin to almost 40-fold for dibutyryl cyclic AMP). Physical inactivation of explants by either freeze-thaw or heat destroyed all ciliary activity and greatly decreased intracellular cyclic AMP levels. Cyclic AMP levels of explants remained relatively constant during in vitro cultivation. Three strains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae were found to contain extremely low amounts of cyclic AMP. Infection of tracheal explants produced a significant decrease in relative ciliary activity, but only a slight decline in organ-culture cyclic AMP levels.

Ciliated respiratory epithelial monolayers: new model for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection

Hamster respiratory epithelial cells were cultured in a monolayer format, and 20% of the cells were ciliated. Mycoplasma pneumoniae attached to the epithelial cells in a neuraminidase-specific fashion and induced ciliostasis and cytonecrosis.

Intracellular levels of adenosine triphosphate in hamster trachea organ cultures exposed to Mycoplasma pneumoniae cells or membranes

The amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in hamster trachea organ cultures was determined with a technique based on light emission from a luciferin/luciferase/ATP reaction. The amount of ATP, expressed as ng per mg dry weight, was consistent in tracheal explants prepared from various animals and changed negligibly when explants were cultivated in vitro for several days. The amount of ATP was related directly to cellular activity and integrity in the epithelium since inactivation by heat or freeze-thaw rapidly depleted measurable ATP, and ciliary activity and ATP content were related directly. When tracheal explants were infected with 10(5) to 10(7) CFU of virulent Mycoplasma pneumoniae cells, both ciliary activity and ATP content in the tissue dropped dramatically after approximately 5 to 8 days (up to 85% and 60% decreases, respectively). Exposure of explants to 50 to 200 microgram per ml of purified M. pneumoniae membranes also caused significant decreases in ciliary activity and ATP. When explants were infected with attenuated or nonvirulent mycoplasmas, ciliary activity was only slightly decreased, while ATP values often rose slightly. The technology associated with the determination of ATP levels in tracheal explants should prove useful as a new, objective, analytical approach to cell viability in organ cultures.

Differences in the attachment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae cells and membranes to tracheal epithelium

Hamster trachea organ cultures were exposed to isolated membranes of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, PI 1428. Attachment, monitored by the uptake of tritiated membranes, was relatively insensitive to neuraminidase pretreatment, unlike the attachment of viable cells. Membrane attachment was optimal when explants were incubated with 50 to 100 micrograms of membrane protein per ml in minimal essential medium broth while gently being rotated (1 rpm) in a roller apparatus for 90 to 120 min at 37 degrees C. Saturation of the receptor sites with viable cells failed to inhibit subsequent membrane attachment. Induction of squamous metaplasia by extended cultivation of tracheal explants in a vitamin A-free medium reduced the content of ciliated cells without significantly affecting total cell viability, but did not alter the attachment of M. pneumoniae membranes. Collectively, the data indicate that the mechanism of attachment of M. pneumoniae membranes to respiratory epithelium is distinct from the receptor site-mediated attachment of M. pneumoniae cells.