Evaluation of the long-term effect of polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate in a rat lung model using conventional chest computed tomography with histopathologic analysis

PLoS One. 2021 Sep 7;16(9):e0256756. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256756. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

There have been no studies on the effects of polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG) after a long period of exposure in the rodent model. We aimed to evaluate long-term lung damage after PHMG exposure using conventional chest computed tomography (CT) and histopathologic analysis in a rat model. A PHMG solution was intratracheally administrated to 24 male rats. At 8, 26, and 52 weeks after PHMG instillation, conventional chest CT was performed in all rats and both lungs were extracted for histopathologic evaluation. At 52 weeks after PHMG instillation, four carcinomas had developed in three of the eight rats (37.5%). Bronchiolo-alveolar hyperplasia and adenoma were found in rats at 8, 26, and 52 weeks post-instillation. The number of bronchiolo-alveolar hyperplasia significantly increased over time (P-value for trend< 0.001). The severity of lung fibrosis and fibrosis scores significantly increased over time (P-values for trend = 0.002 and 0.023, respectively). Conventional chest CT analysis showed that bronchiectasis and linear density scores suggestive of fibrosis significantly increased over time (P-value for trend < 0.001). Our study revealed that one instillation of PHMG in a rat model resulted in lung carcinomas and progressive and irreversible fibrosis one year later based on conventional chest CT and histopathologic analysis. PHMG may be a lung carcinogen in the rat model.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Guanidines / pharmacology*
  • Guanidines / toxicity
  • Humans
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung / drug effects*
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung Diseases / chemically induced
  • Lung Diseases / diagnosis
  • Lung Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
  • Lung Diseases / pathology
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis / chemically induced
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis / diagnosis*
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis / diagnostic imaging
  • Rats
  • Thorax / diagnostic imaging
  • Thorax / drug effects
  • Thorax / pathology
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Guanidines
  • polyhexamethyleneguanidine

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE) as “the Environmental Health Action Program” (2018001360002), National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (NRF-2018R1D1A1B07049989), Korea university Ansan hospital research grant (O1903581), and Korea university grant (K2008271). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.