ABSTRACT
Dusts containing microbial agents have been implicated in a range of respiratory disorders such as asthma, extrinsic allergic alveolitis and organic toxic dust syndrome. The lung inflammation shown in these diseases is often linked to the mast cell., which is of central importance to the immediate and chronic effects of these conditions as indicated by bronchial hyperreactivity, through the release of inflammatory mediators such as histamine, prostaglandins and leukotrienes.
This work examines the histamine releasing effect of Lipopolysaccharide and (1->3)-b-D-glucan, both of which are found in cotton and other organic dusts, on the degranulation of mast cells isolated from the human lung.
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