Background: The effect of cigarette smoke (CS) on the phagocytosis of alveolar macrophages is discussed controversially on the basis of in vitro experiments. In this short report we describe the in vivo observations that we have performed.
Methods: For this purpose mice were exposed to CS for three consecutive days. One day later the fluorescent microspheres were administered intratracheally and the lung surface was investigated using long-distance fluorescence microscopy.
Results: We found that the numbers of neutrophils which engulfed particles was increased in the CS group as compared to controls. The overall phagocytic activity was not significantly different after CS exposure.
Conclusions: In conclusion the phagocytosis of alveolar macrophages and neutrophils after short time CS exposure was not affected. Further investigations will need to look for the effects of long-term CS exposure and the phagocytosis of living bacteria.
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.